Serie A working on return plan, may play games behind closed doors 'until Christmas'

The top-flight Italian soccer league is eyeing a potential return to action, but the plan may include closed doors games until 2021. 

On Wednesday, Reuters (and ESPN) reported the Italian Football Federation is working on medical guidelines to resume the 2019-20 season that was postponed on March 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of the campaign's suspension, Juventus held a one-point lead over Lazio at the top of the league's table. Clubs have between 12 and 13 matches remaining on their schedules. 

As explained by Reuters, Italy has been devastated by the virus outbreak. Over 15,000 deaths in the country to date are attributed to COVID-19. Multiple Serie A players have tested positive for coronavirus, but it's believed they've since recovered. Reuters added that testing would be available for footballers with "particular attention to the respiratory and cardiovascular system." 

On Thursday, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (translated by MilanNews.it) added that Italian football could be played behind closed doors "until Christmas." As noted by the official AS Roma website, a winter break similar to the one observed during the current season would mean that all Serie A games played in 2020 would be completed in empty arenas through the end of the year. 

On Wednesday, Tariq Panja of the New York Times confirmed that the German Bundesliga plans to return to action "in early May," and the remaining games of the season would occur in empty venues. Panja also wrote the English Premier League "is unlikely to return until July at the earliest." 

Soccer-starved fans would welcome the return of any live games to their televisions, and leagues would benefit from completing seasons that would allow them to fulfill contractual media-rights obligations. There remain questions, though, about if it's best for sporting competitions to lure medical professionals from hospitals and other facilities to stadiums during a pandemic. 

Earlier this week, the Association of Ringside Physicians recommended the indefinite suspension of all combat sports, in part because "combat sports athletes often require medical attention after a bout, and we do not wish to see any additional strain on an already overwhelmed medical system."