As the world grapples with the coronavirus, Italy’s top football league, Serie A, took the decision to delay four matches that were to be played yesterday, Sunday 23 February.

The announcement was issued on Saturday morning, 22 February, after news aired of an outbreak in northern Italy – primarily in the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont, where the Italian league matches were to be played.

The matches called off include Atalanta vs Sassuolo; Inter Milan vs Sampdoria; Hellas Verona vs Cagliari, and Torino vs Parma. The Serie A women’s division match – AC Milan against Fiorentina – was also suspended.

Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, said in a post on Facebook: “Now more than ever we have a duty to be prudent and responsible … for this reason, we have suspended sports competitions in areas where there may be even the possibility of spreading the virus.”

No announcements have been made yet regarding rescheduling.