La Liga matches will be played behind closed doors until at least 22 March, covering the next two rounds of top-tier fixtures in the country, to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus, while the top two leagues in France will see games without fans until 15 April. Portugal’s top two tiers are also shut off to fans this weekend, while Manchester United’s Europa League last-16 match against LASK on Thursday will also be a closed-doors affair.
Real Madrid host Eibar on Friday in the first affected LA Liga fixture, with the side’s 21 March game against Valencia also set to take place behind closed doors. League leaders Barcelona’s matches in the affected rounds are away at Mallorca and at home to Leganés.
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In a statement, the league said: “According to information from the High Council of Sports (CSD), La Liga matches will be played behind closed doors, starting today (March 10) and for at least the next two weeks. La Liga will continue to be in permanent contact with the Ministry of Health and the CSD to follow its recommendations and/or decisions, prioritising the health of fans, players, club employees, journalists etc, due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
“La Liga has been working on alternative plans in coordination with Uefa in case health authorities decide to suspend any match, creating a plan to play these matches.”
The French Football Association announced all matches in Ligue 1 and 2 will take place without fans until mid-April, a period that takes in PSG’s visit to Marseille – the top two sides in the country. Portugal’s governing body said in a statement: “The games [for the top two leagues] of the 25th round of professional competitions will be held behind closed doors … the situation will continue to be monitored, undergoing changes – expanding or decreasing the measures – if necessary.”
Barcelona had earlier said its Champions League last-16 second leg match with Napoli next week will be played behind closed doors. Barça’s is the latest Champions League fixture to be affected by the spread of the virus, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Wednesday return with Borussia Dortmund set to go ahead without supporters, as will Tuesday’s match between Valencia and Atalanta.
The Spanish Health Ministry had said sport fixtures expected to draw crowds from zones designated as high-risk for coronavirus, such as northern Italy, would be played without spectators.
View image in fullscreenFrancesco Caputo with his message after scoring. Photograph: Serena Campanini/EPA
On Monday, all domestic sporting activity at all levels in Italy was suspended until 3 April at the earliest, including all matches in Serie A. The last round of Serie A matches were played behind closed doors, including Sassuolo’s 3-0 win over Brescia on Monday, where striker Francesco Caputo celebrated after scoring by showing a message to TV cameras which read: “Everything will be OK. Stay at home.”
LASK confirmed their match against United would have to be played without supporters present after Austrian health minister Rudolf Anschober reportedly said on Tuesday that all outdoor events in the country with more than 500 people would be cancelled until mid-April.
A post on the club’s official Twitter account read: “LASK has announced that the home game against @ManUtd scheduled for Thursday must take place without a spectator. The association will provide further information after publication of the relevant decree.”
<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">❗ IMPORTANT ❗<br><br>Thursday's <a href=\"https://twitter.com/EuropaLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@EuropaLeague</a> tie with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ManUtd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ManUtd</a> will be played behind closed doors<br><br>More information to follow <a href=\"https://t.co/cDDAAFEVYE\">pic.twitter.com/cDDAAFEVYE</a></p>— LASK English🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@LASK_eng) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/LASK_eng/status/1237365845271216128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2020</a></blockquote>\n"}}”>
❗ IMPORTANT ❗Thursday's @EuropaLeague tie with @ManUtd will be played behind closed doorsMore information to follow pic.twitter.com/cDDAAFEVYE
— LASK English🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@LASK_eng) March 10, 2020
Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2020 play-off semi-final in Slovakia on 26 March will be played behind closed doors. The Slovak football association (SFZ) confirmed no spectators will be allowed into the game in Bratislava. The FAI added in a statement: “All fans who purchased tickets for the game in Bratislava will be refunded.”
The FA of Bosnia and Herzegovina has postponed ticket sales for their Euro 2020 qualifying play-off semi-final with Northern Ireland on 26 March. “In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and in accordance with the recommendations of the relevant institutions, the ticket sale is postponed for several days,” the Bosnian FA said on its website. “A new ticket sale date will be announced later.”
The Bulgarian Football Union has already suspended ticket sales for the qualifying play-off semi-final against Hungary – also scheduled for 26 March.
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