COVID-19: Sassuolo becomes first Serie A club to return to training
May 03, 2020
Milan [Italy], May 3 : Sassuolo has become the first Serie A team to announce that the side will be resuming training activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The club has said that optional individual training sessions will be allowed to take place at the Mapei Football Center from May 4, but everyone will be required to follow social distancing guidelines.
"Players will only be allowed access to the pitches in compliance with rules of social distancing, while access to the Sports Center (locker rooms, gyms, offices) will be prohibited," Sassuolo said in an official statement.
"The individual sessions, which will take place during the mornings from Monday to Friday, with the use of three fields, with six players per hour (one player for each half of the pitch), will not be attended by the technical staff, while an emergency health supervision will be guaranteed," it added.
Earlier, all twenty clubs in the Italian domestic football competition Serie A had voted in favour of resuming the 2019-20 season whenever possible.
The news was confirmed through a conference call but the final call on the resumption of the league will be dependent on the government's approval.
"Of course we want to play football, it would be against nature to say otherwise. Those who have a profession would always like to continue to do it if it will be possible while respecting health standards and protocols," Goal.com had quoted Paolo Dal Pino, the Serie A president, as saying.
"We will strictly adhere to government advice, as we have always done. They can be sure of our constructive and collaborative spirit and that my harmony with the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina is absolute," he added.
There have been some reports that few clubs have been against restarting the season, with Italy being one of the worst affected countries in Europe by the coronavirus. But an agreement has been reached between teams and the Italian football federation.
Italy's domestic football competition Serie A has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus. The league in France and Netherlands have already confirmed their 2019-20 seasons are over.
On April 26, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had revealed plans to gradually relax restrictions in the country and allowed the Serie A players to do individual training from May 4.
Italy's government will allow running in open spaces from May 4 while athletes in individual sports such as tennis will be allowed to return to their training facilities.
