LUDOGORETS players were spotted wearing facemasks as they arrived in Milan for their Europa League clash with Inter tomorrow night.
The match will take place behind closed doors at the San Siro because of the coronavirus outbreak affecting Italy.
Ludogorets stars arrived in Italy wearing facemasksCredit: EPA
The Bulgarians trail 2-0 from the first legCredit: EPA
The second leg will take place behind closed doors at the San SiroCredit: EPA
And stars of the Bulgarian club took no chances as they touched down in the country worst affected by the outbreak in Europe.
They travel to the San Siro tomorrow night trailing 2-0 in the tie after first-leg Christian Eriksen and Romelu Lukaku goals.
But they will face an Inter side lacking the backing of their vocal home supporters with no fans allowed in the ground.
There have been 322 cases of the virus in Italy – the highest number of infections outside Asia.
The decision comes off the back of a Serie A weekend ravaged by postponements over fears of the pandemic.
Inter themselves couldn’t play their scheduled home match with Sampdoria last weekend – with three other top flight matches also unable to go ahead.
And football is not the only sport to have been affected by the deadly disease.
Italy’s Six Nations trip to Ireland due to take place on March 7 has been postponed over safety concerns.
Thousands of Azzurri fans, many from the worst affected regions, were expected to descend upon Dublin.
But after meeting with the Health Minister, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said: “The IRFU is perfectly happy to comply with this instruction.
“We will immediately begin to work with our Six Nations partners to look to reschedule.
“I would hope to have an update on that in the coming days.”
There are also fears that coronavirus, which originated in neighbouring China, could put this summer’s Tokyo Olympics into doubt.
You can’t just say, `We’ll do it in October.’ You’re probably looking at a cancellation.
IOC chief Dick Pound
International Olympic Committee [IOC] chief Dick Pound said: “You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics.
“There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons.
“You can’t just say, `We’ll do it in October.’ You’re probably looking at a cancellation.”
Four Euro 2020 matches, including the competition’s opener and a quarter-final clash, are set to take place in Rome.
WHAT’S THE LATEST ACROSS EUROPE?
- In Austria, a young Italian couple who live in Innsbruck in the Tyrol have been infected by coronavirus. One of them had worked at a hotel, which is now in lockdown. Their home is also sealed off.
- In Tenerife, around 1,000 guests were locked down in a hotel after an Italian doctor and his wife tested positive for the deadly disease
- In mainland Spain, a woman in Barcelona has tested positive after visiting northern Italy
- In Switzerland a man in his seventies living in Ticino, bordering Italy, has contracted the bug after visiting Milan on 15 February. He is now in isolation.
- In Croatia a man who has recently returned from Italy has been confirmed positive
- France and Germany have also reported new cases involving people who have recently been to Italy
But Uefa have warned that they may have to review the situation.
Michele Uva told state broadcaster, Rai: “We are at the waiting stage. We are monitoring country by country, and football must follow the orders of the individual countries.
“The sporting path will only be closed if the situation gets worse.”
Inter’s San Siro clash with Sampdoria at the weekend was postponedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Statement as Ireland vs Italy Six Nations rugby clash called off due to coronavirus outbreak
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
