Lyon (AFP)
Match or not match? With supporters or without? The progression of the epidemic of new coronavirus in Italy raises questions before the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League scheduled Wednesday, in Lyon, between OL and Juventus Turin.
The mayors (LR) of Meyzieu and Décines-Charpieu, where the Olympique Lyonnais stadium is to host the match, asked the authorities on Tuesday to ban the arrival of nearly 3,000 Juve supporters, "on behalf of of the precautionary principle but also of the prevention of any disturbance to public order ".
Christophe Quiniou and Laurence Fautra, who have already expressed their "firmest" reservations at the prefecture and the Regional Health Agency, believe that this match "gives rise to fears, legitimate" among their constituents, "immediately concerned by the and the flow of supporters. "
Juventus, for its part, ensures that "no particular restriction is provided for the tifosi bianconeri" and that its fans will be able to attend "without problem" the meeting, while it will play in camera its next match of the Championship of Italy at home, Sunday against Inter, to avoid any risk of spread.
Postponements of matches or in camera are usually decided by sports bodies in consultation with clubs, authorities and broadcasters.
OL, a club listed on the stock exchange, expects to generate record revenues on Wednesday evening in its stadium, with assistance comparable to, or even greater than, that of the match against FC Barcelona last season, which had generated more than five million d 'euros in revenue, for an influx of more than 56,000 people.
"People come from all over Italy because Turin is the most popular club in the country," said the Olympique Lyonnais. More than 2,700 fans have to make the trip, without the ultras, however, currently in conflict with the management of Juventus.
- "No reason to cancel" -
The latest official report shows 283 cases of new coronavirus in Italy, where seven people died from the disease, making it the most affected country in Europe. The main focus is in the Lombardy region (north-west), near Piedmont - that of Turin - where six cases have been identified.
The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, said on RTL on Tuesday that "no scientific and medical argument today" led "to stop collective events" like the match OL-Juve.
Even if the epidemic is "on our doorstep", "we are not closing the borders because it would not make sense. At this stage, there is no reason to consider it," he said. added before going to meet his European colleagues in Rome.
"We trust the Italian authorities. There are containment zones from which people do not leave, but the others circulate: there are whole regions of Italy where there is no identification of the virus" , said the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, Monday evening.
"To date, there is no reason to cancel this event," he said, adding that it was true for others. "It is your immediate neighbors and not the stadium which is contaminated, it is the same if you take a car, if you take public transport, etc.".
On Monday, a Flixbus bus arriving from Northern Italy was blocked in Lyon and its passengers were confined for several hours due to a suspicion of coronavirus on the driver, whose tests turned out to be negative.
© 2020 AFP