MADRID (AFP) – Barcelona’s Champions League last-16 return match against Napoli on March 18 has been ordered to be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, both clubs announced on Tuesday (March 10).
“The Champions League match scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, between FC Barcelona and Napoli, will be played at Camp Nou behind closed doors,” the Spanish giants said on Twitter.
Two other Champions League matches – Tuesday’s tie between Valencia and Atalanta in Spain, and Wednesday’s Paris Saint-Germain v Borussia Dortmund match – are scheduled to be played in empty stadiums in efforts to curb the spread of the killer virus.
The announcement was closely followed by the postponement of the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland scheduled for Saturday in Paris.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s Europa League last-16, first leg tie against LASK in Linz on Thursday will also be played in an empty stadium due to the outbreak, the Austrian Bundesliga side said on Tuesday.
Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer earlier on Tuesday said the country had banned indoor events of more than 100 people and outdoor events of more than 500 in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Also, Wednesday’s Rhine derby between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Cologne will be the first Bundesliga game to be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus, local authorities announced on Tuesday.
The match, which was rescheduled last month due to Storm Ciara, will be the first game in the history of the German top flight to take place in the absence of fans.
Bundesliga games had been going ahead as usual, even as the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus continued to rise in Germany, passing 1,000 on Monday.
Yet on Sunday, the country’s health minister Jens Spahn requested that all events with more than 1,000 people be cancelled “until further notice”.
German Football League chief Christian Seifert warned on Sunday that “the season must end by mid-May” in order to ensure clarity over promotion, relegation and qualification for international competition.
The decision to close stadium doors will ultimately be made on a case-by-case basis by regional authorities.
Also on Tuesday, the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina has postponed ticket sales for the Euro 2020 qualifying play-off semi-final between Bosnia and Northern Ireland on March 26 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Bosnia confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus on Thursday.
A day earlier, The Bulgarian Football Union had suspended ticket sales for the Euro 2020 qualifying play-off semi-final between Bulgaria and Hungary – also scheduled for March 26.
