General view inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo
ROME: Juventus, AS Roma and Lazio have suspended ticket sales for upcoming matches as soccer stadiums in Italy will be reduced to a maximum 50% capacity to fight rising coronavirus infections.
The sports ministry confirmed it had cut capacity for open-air sports events to 50% and for indoors events, the capacity has been cut to 35%, fleshing out the details of a decree on event restrictions announced on Wednesday night.
Daily coronavirus cases have soared in Italy this week, reaching a record 98,030 on Wednesday, with the number of hospitalised patients rising.
The country’s top soccer league, Serie A, is currently on a two-week winter break, but three of its major clubs halted the sale of tickets ahead of the return of league action on Jan.6.
Juventus have suspended ticket sales for their first three home games of 2022, against Napoli, Udinese and Sampdoria, "pending further clarification regarding the capacity of the stadiums reduced to 50%”.
The move came after Roma did likewise on Wednesday, stopping sales for their games against Juventus, Cagliari and Lecce, while Lazio subsequently suspended sales for their next game against Empoli.
Juventus’ home clash with Napoli and Roma’s trip to AC Milan are the two stand-out fixtures when Serie A returns in January, with all four clubs currently in the top six. (Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Additional reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by David Clarke and Alison Williams)
