Published 13:33 IST, March 12th 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo misses Juve training, player staying in Madeira amid coronavirus threat
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is back to his hometown Madeira, Portugal as Italy reels under coronavirus outbreak, while Daniele Rugani is tested positive.
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Madeira, Portugal after the ever-growing incidences of Coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has missed Juventus’ first-team training despite the rest of the squad staying back in Turin. This report comes after all Serie A fixtures were suspended until April 3 as a precautionary measure.
Serie A Coronavirus update: Cristiano Ronaldo misses training amid Italy under lockdown
Italy is the worst affected country in Europe, with the death toll rising over 827 people. The virus has affected approximately 12,000 people in the country alone, killing 200 people in the past two days. This forced Italian PM Giuseppe Conte to suspend all Serie A fixtures until April 3. Public movements have been banned in the country as Italy reels under fear. This measure comes after few games were played behind closed doors last weekend, including the much-awaited Juventus vs Inter Milan fixture.
Italy under lockdown: Club confirms Cristiano Ronaldo misses training
Juventus released an official statement on the first-team squad’s training information. The statement confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo was back to his hometown Madeira, Portugal ‘pending developments related to the current health emergency.’ Juventus, in a separate statement, also confirmed that defender Daniele Rugani has been tested positive for coronavirus. And all measures according to the guidelines of the Italian government were being undertaken.
Serie A coronavirus update: Decisions over Serie A title to be taken
There were also questions on the fate of the Serie A title if the situation did not improve in the stipulated time. After a meeting of various governing bodies, FICC President Gabriele Gavina has stated that in the event of coronavirus emergency making it impossible to conclude the league, then certain proposals put forward in the recent meeting would be discussed after March 23.
Serie A coronavirus update: Three suggestions put forward for Serie A
The proposals that have emerged include, without any order of priority, an option could be not to assign any team as the Serie A winner and inform UEFA of the teams that qualified for the Champions League. The second suggestion refers to a play-off between the top two ranked teams in the league. Another option that has surfaced with the authorities is, to crown the present league leader as the league champion.
Updated 13:33 IST, March 12th 2020