Serie A clubs vote in favour of season restart by mid-June

The Serie A has revealed that the clubs have decided on a tentative restart date for the campaign, although the final decision will rest on the Italian government.

The Italian top-flight was suspended in early March due to the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic but there has been an improvement on the situation of late.

The players have been training individually this month but that is expected to change next week with the government having given the permission to hold collective training sessions from May 18.

There has been no official confirmation regarding the season resumption but the league’s governing body has suggested that the campaign could recommence by the second week of June.

“As far as the resumption of sports activities is concerned, the date of 13 June for the resumption of the championship has been indicated … in accordance with medical protocols for the protection of players and all those involved,” A statement from the Serie A read.

Serie A’s return in June will be welcome news for football fans who have starved of live football since March 2020. Live foootball streaming sites will be carrying all football games from this weekend onwards, with Bundesliga due to start this week and the Premier League, along with Serie A, also aiming for a June restart.

Meanwhile, the Serie A clubs have also urged the broadcasting rights holders to respect the pre-agreed deadlines on the contracts such that a constructive relationship can be maintained between them.

The current season has been exciting to watch from the neutral point of view, given Juventus have not been able to distance themselves from Lazio in the race for the Scudetto.

The Bianconeri have won eight league titles on the bounce and they were able to preserve the top spot on the table before the campaign was brought to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, they don’t have any room for comfort when the season restarts, considering Lazio are just one point behind them, having won 16 and drawn two of their previous 18 league games.

The capital outfit are aiming to win the Scudetto for the first time since the 1999-2000 season where they edged the Bianconeri to the league title by the solitary point.

They have already beaten the Turin giants in both of their meetings this season by a 3-1 score. Their most recent victory came during the Italian Super Cup in December which was held in Saudi Arabia.

Ciro Immobile has led their title charge with 27 goals from just 26 league outings and manager Simone Inzaghi will be hoping that the striker can carry on when the season restarts.

Meanwhile, third-placed Inter Milan still have a realistic chance of winning the Serie A and they are currently nine points behind the table-toppers with a game in hand.

Antonio Conte’s side have been at the top of the standings in 12 of the 26 gameweeks this term but their average form since December has put them in a position, where they don’t have the title destiny in their own hands.

The San Siro outfit have dropped points in seven of their previous 12 top-flight outings and that includes costly defeats to Lazio and Juventus respectively prior to the coronavirus shutdown.

Should the season resume, Juventus will be eyeing a ninth successive league title but the focus could be on Lazio, who have been one of the best-performing teams in Europe this year.

With the pressure on their shoulders, it remains to be seen whether the Lazio squad can sustain the challenge. All teams are expected to play their games behind closed doors in order to curb the threat of the COVID-19 virus.