Coronavirus: International matches may be canceled – FIFA President
Gianni Infantino

 

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA, President Gianni Infantino, has said that there are possibilities of postponing international matches if the coronavirus outbreak continues to heighten.

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While speaking ahead of Saturday’s Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board, in Belfast, Infantino said the body will not relent in putting up strategies that will curb the development.

The development had lead the Switzerland government to ban every event involving more than 1,000 people. Also, matches in the top two divisions in the country were prosponed, while in Italy five Serie A games will be played behind closed doors. The leagues in Japan and South Korea were postponed earlier this week.

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According to Infantino, “The health of persons is much more important than any football game. That’s why we have to look at the situation and hope that it will decrease rather than increase. At the moment it looks like it is still increasing. If games have to be postponed or played without spectators until it is over, then we have to go through that.”

On this month international friendlies, Infantino said: “I wouldn’t exclude anything at this moment. I hope we will never have to get into this direction. I think it will be difficult in any case to make a global ban because the situation is really different.”

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On matches to be played behind closed doors, he said: “I do not think it is sustainable, but that is my personal view.

“Every competition organiser has to decide what is best for him. In the short term it can be a solution in order to move on but you cannot imagine a few months of a competition with several matches played behind closed doors.”

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