Coronavirus fears continue to take its toll on football, with Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Napoli now being forced to be played behind closed doors due to the vastly-spreading virus.
The announcement was made on Tuesday morning, with the club and local officials agreeing on staging the match in an empty stadium. According to Sport, the Catalan government recommended canceling the game altogether but both parties struck a compromise.
OFFICIAL: Barcelona’s #UCL last-16 second leg with Napoli at the Camp Nou on March 18 will be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus precautions pic.twitter.com/dF4eAQfqEZ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 10, 2020
Oscar Grau, Albert Soler, and Ramon Canal were present at this short meeting as the region looked to contain the spread of COVID-19. While this decision was announced on Tuesday, it came as little surprise as several games have been forced to be played behind closed doors or cancelled altogether.
Serie A have even suspended the league until April 03 as they are the most affected country outside of China. Meanwhile, there are even speculations that the Champions League might be suspended once the round of 16 wraps up, with the second-leg affair wrapping up next Wednesday.
UEFA are seriously considering suspending the Champions League and Europa League after the round of 16 ties are done. [cat radio]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 10, 2020
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