COVID-19: Serie A clubs on strike against protocol

Inter Milan joined other clubs to refuse to go into training retreat

At least, nine Serie A clubs - including Inter, Milan and Napoli - are refusing to go into a lengthy training retreat from Monday until the medical protocol is changed.

Multiple reports including Sky Sport Italia,
La Repubblica and more, all claim that Serie A teams, the Players' Association and Agents' Association are rebelling against the protocol that was agreed between the FIGC and the government this week.

Their issues are with the automatic 15-day quarantine for the whole group if just one player or member of staff contracts COVID-19.

They want to follow the Bundesliga model, which would only isolate the person who is positive, then blanket test all the others to ensure it has not spread.

Group training is due to begin on Monday, which means the only genuine way to ensure no positive tests is to lock players and staff into a non-stop training retreat until the end of the season.

Inter Director Beppe Marotta complained to La Repubblica that the protocol is "impracticable and senseless," as their ground only has 27 rooms.

"I don't wish to cause controversy, but with the rules as they stand, we are simply not able to stage a training retreat. We ask that they are changed, or we have no other alternative."

The genuine fear is that if they start training and one person tests positive, the whole season could be cancelled again.

The other clubs refusing to go into the training retreat from Monday are Fiorentina, Cagliari, Verona, Atalanta, Sampdoria and Genoa.
Football-italia