Napoli and Juventus were set to do battle in a matchup of Serie A heavyweights on Sunday night in Turin, but after Napoli was prevented from traveling north to play the match due to COVID-19 positives in their squad, the game was not played.
Juventus showed up to the stadium and warmed up for the match as if nothing were happening, but Gennaro Gattuso’s team had been prohibited from leaving their city on a flight to Turin due to the quarantine that its squad had to observe due to the two positive tests.
The players, who have not been identified, had been in contact with their teammates which left doubt as to whether or not they could be potentially infected with the virus.
According to Italian soccer regulations, Juventus was handed a 3-0 win in a forfeit after the league refused to postpone or change the date of the match. However, Napoli is expected to challenge that decision in the courts in an attempt to have the game played at a later date.
The league said in a statement, “The protocol lays down certain rules that cannot be deviated from, which allow league matches to be played even in the event of a positive result, deploying players who have tested negative.”
Expect more news to come from this bizarre turn of events later in the week.
