Roma joins Serie A clubs returning to training
May 03, 2020
Rome [Italy], May 3 : The Italian club Roma have announced that they will resume training activities next week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The ongoing 2019-20 season has been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has killed more than 2,44,500 people worldwide.
All teams in Italy are set to return to training on May 18, the day after the government's existing lockdown measures expire, but some are scheduled to resume earlier, Goal.com reported.
The order issued by the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy on Thursday opened the door for Sassuolo, SPAL, Bologna and Parma to return to training next week.
Sassuolo were the first team to announce a resumption of training on Saturday, although social distancing rules must be complied with and there can be no mass gatherings.
Roma joined Sassuolo and issued a statement, "#ASRoma would like to thank the Lazio Regione for its sensitivity towards team sports. Next week, Roma players will undergo medical assessments and begin individual training sessions - observing safe distancing guidelines - at the Trigoria training centre."
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," Paolo Dal Pino, the Serie A President said.
"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.
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.
