Serie A: Sampdoria president says season 'must end here'
Italian authorities have insisted they will not even consider resuming Serie A action until it is safe to do so.
Published : Apr 09, 2020 07:59 IST
Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero said the Serie A season "must end here" as it would be pointless to restart the league without fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Serie A was suspended indefinitely last month due to the spread of COVID-19, and authorities have insisted they will not even consider resuming action until it is safe to do so.
It remains to be seen if and when the 2019-20 campaign returns but matches behind closed doors are almost a certainty in Italy, where more than 17,600 people have died from coronavirus.
"Let's organise ourselves to say that this championship must end here and now," Ferrero told Telenord .
"I say it with a heavy heart, because I do want to resume, but only when I can see our beautiful stadium with fans beating their drums.
"I saw Sampdoria-Verona behind closed doors and it hurt my soul to see it played in silence. How can you celebrate a result in that desolate landscape?
"Why bother playing a game without fans, the colours all around, the noise and cheering, this is football, this is entertainment and 90 minutes of pure adrenaline. A game without fans, what even is it?"
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The last Serie A game before the league's postponement was on March 9 – Sassuolo defeated Brescia 3-0.
Sampdoria was 16th and only a point above the relegation zone after 25 games when the Serie A came to a halt last month.