Coronavirus could cost Serie A more than €700m – Italian Federation chief Gravina

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  • Post published:May 28, 2020

Serie A could lose over €700 million (£628m/$769m) in revenue if plans to restart the league do not come to fruition, according to Italian Football Federation [FIGC] president Gabriele Gravina.

The Italian top flight has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Gravina said the division has already lost more than €500m (£449m/$550m).

As the FIGC prepared to meet with the country’s minister for sport to discuss a plan to recommence matches from 13 June, Gravina warned of the financial consequences of an extended suspension.

‘The job of the federation is to get football running again and prevent the economic crisis irreparably damaging Italian passion for the sport,’ Gravina told Riparte l’Italia magazine.

‘We worked with determination to ensure Italy as a country gets back on its feet, including football, which is an important working sector that involves circa 100,000 employees and generates revenue for the state.

‘We’ve worked incessantly with minister for sport Vincenzo Spadafora, the minister for economy and finance Roberto Gualtieri and minister for health Roberto Speranza, to create secure conditions for professional football to resume.

‘This is because only by returning to the pitch can we stop the collapse of revenue which in the short term would otherwise be over €700m. More than €500m has already been lost to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.’

Spadafora has confirmed that Serie A is set for crunch talks on Thursday regarding the resumption of the season, with the two dates currently being discussed for the season to continue 13 June and 20 June.

Meanwhile, Serie A club Bologna said an unnamed member of their staff is suspected to have contracted Covid-19, and the squad is to be kept in an isolated training camp should the individual test positive.

A statement on the club’s website read: ‘The latest round of tests underwent by the team group revealed a case of suspected positivity to Covid-19 with regard to a staff member.

‘Pending further analysis, the team will resume training individually and at different times tomorrow as a precaution, without the use of common rooms.

‘If positivity is confirmed, the team group will be kept in an isolated training retreat.’