ROME (Italy): Italy’s sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday that Serie A can resume on June 20 after a three-month absence in a country hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Technical and Scientific Committee gave its agreement on the protocol and the federation assured me that it had a plan B and a plan C,” Spadafora said after a meeting with Italian football chiefs.
“In the light of these considerations, the championship can resume on June 20.”
No top-flight matches have been played since Sassuolo beat Brescia 3-0 on March 9, before the championship was suspended by a pandemic which has killed over 33,000 people in Italy.
Spadafora held a video conference at 6:30pm local time (1630 GMT), with representatives of Italian football including federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina and Lega Serie A chief Paolo Dal Pino.
Earlier, the clubs had suggested June 13 as a date for the championship to restart while group training will get underway on Monday.
Italian football bosses are hopeful that Italy can follow the German Bundesliga, which has already returned, and Spain’s La Liga which is preparing to kick off again on June 11.
The season has been on hold since March 9 when it was halted as coronavirus infections spread rapidly in Italy. The pandemic has killed more than 33,000 people in the country.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte last week had said he needed “more guarantees” before his government can give permission for Serie A resumption A after a two-month lockdown due to coronavirus.
