According to the new calendar of the Coppa Italia, Juventus will take on AC Milan on June 12, while Napoli will host Beneamata a day later.
Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) acknowledges the public at the end of the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Udinese on December 15, 2019 at the Juventus Allianz stadium in Turin. (Photo by Isabella BONOTTO / AFP)
The Italian football season is all set to start on June 12 – eight days ahead of Serie A – with the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, announced the country’s Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora on Thursday.
Earlier, all the 20 top-flight clubs had voted that the final of the Coppa Italia would be played on June 17. Lega Serie A had also confirmed that the decision was taken after receiving a green light from the Italian government.
The first leg of the semi-finals had concluded in February as AC Milan played out a 1-1 draw with Juventus at San Siro while Napoli enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan. But the return legs which were originally set in early March were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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According to the new calendar of the Coppa Italia, Juventus will take on Rossoneri at Allianz Stadium on June 12, while Napoli will host Beneamata a day later.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, all forms of professional sports in Italy stand suspended since March. But the action is set to get back underway later this month following the easing of lockdown restrictions across the country.
The Italian Sports Minister had announced in the last week of May that the 2019-20 season of Serie A would resume on June 20 after a suspension of more than three months due to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy has been one of the worst-hit countries by the virus.
The decision, announced by Minister of Sport Vincenzo Spadafora after less than an hour of virtual discussions with officials from the Italian Football Federation and representatives of Serie A, players, coaches, and referees came after weeks of contentious talks and widespread media speculation on the topic, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Italy is reopening (and) it is correct that the football season should restart as well,” Spadafora told reporters as quoted by IANS.
With IANS inputs
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