Barcelona vs Napoli to Be Played Behind Closed Doors & Other European Ties Set to Follow
By Tom Gott
Barcelona's Champions League clash with Napoli on 18th March will be played behind closed doors in an attempt to manage the spread of the coronavirus, with other ties tipped to follow suit.
The outbreak of the virus has had a huge impact on several European countries. France has taken the decision to play all their games in empty stadiums for the next month, while Italy has suspended Serie A altogether.
OFFICIAL: Serie A has been suspended. #SerieA #Coronavirus
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 9, 2020
Tuesday reports suggest that the next two rounds of La Liga games will be played without fans, and Sport note that a decision has been made to play the midweek Champions League game without fans because of fears of Italian fans spreading the virus.
Italy has been one of the most severely impacted countries in Europe, with the entire population under lockdown to try and cope with the spread of the coronavirus, so everyone involved has agreed to keep fans away from Camp Nou – although the decision to close all Spanish stadia suggests that fan attendance on Wednesday was in doubt either way.
Atalanta and Inter's respective visits to Valencia and Getafe in the Europa League will also be played without fans for the same reasons, but Liverpool's trip to face Atlético Madrid will not be affected.
The Champions League match scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, between FC Barcelona and Napoli, will be played at Camp Nou behind closed doors. pic.twitter.com/4uceIGrobY
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 10, 2020
Barcelona had initially wanted to play the game in front of just home fans, but that was quickly dismissed for safety reasons.
Alongside Spain, Germany is also in the process of making a decision about fans. Sport Bild note that any event with over 1,000 attendees is likely to be postponed or played without spectators, which would impact Bayern Munich's clash with Chelsea.
That game is expected to be played without fans, and if/when Bayern get through to the next round, it might impact those games as well. For the greater good of the competition (said Chelsea fans), the Blues need to overturn the 3-0 deficit.
Bundesliga games will be hit, as will Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers' respective clashes with RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, while the German national team's upcoming friendly against Italy will also likely be without fans.
A final decision is expected to be made on Tuesday, but it seems almost certain that the fixtures will be played behind closed doors.