Rome (AFP)
Teeth grinding in Italy, astonishment in Spain, cold sweats in England, voluntarism in Germany: European neighbors fear a snowball effect after the final end of the Ligue 1 season which is taking shape at the behest of the French government.
While the championship of the Netherlands is officially stopped and that of Belgium should follow the same path, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Tuesday that matches could not resume before at least August in France.
In Rome, the Italian Minister of Sports, Vincenzo Spadafora, very reserved about a resumption of Serie A, immediately rushed into the breach: "The decisions that are being made by other countries, like the France yesterday (Tuesday), could push Italy to follow this line too, which would then become a European line, "he said on television on Wednesday.
"I see an increasingly narrow path for the resumption of the championship. If I were a president of a football club, I would especially think of organizing myself to safely resume the next championship which will start at the end of August", a- he insisted.
After weeks of hesitation, the Italian football world has finally gotten into battle order and presents a common front favorable to recovery. "If we don't leave, we risk irreparable damage," said Claudio Lotito, president of Lazio Rome, the main defender of a return to the field, on Tuesday.
- "Restart" project -
In Spain, on the other hand, the head of government Pedro Sanchez, announced a few hours after the speech of his French counterpart that the Liga teams could train again from Monday, with strict security conditions.
"I do not understand how there will be more risk of playing football matches behind closed doors, with all the precautions, than working on an assembly line or on a fishing boat on the high seas", a thundered Javier Tebas, the boss of La Liga, the body that manages professional football in Spain.
He who is pushing to resume the Spanish championship as quickly as possible has assured that professional football could "end up disappearing" if he is not allowed to resume "in a safe and controlled manner".
In England, the government is cautious but sympathetic to the "Restart" (restart) project developed by the Premier League, which according to the press predicts a return to training on May 18 and aims to return to competition on June 8, behind closed doors and in a small number of stadiums to limit movement.
But former player Gary Neville protested on Wednesday on a "purely economic" approach when the health risk is real: "How many people must die playing football in the Premier League before it becomes embarrassing? player? A member of staff in intensive care? ".
- "Save football" -
In Germany on the other hand, the sports ministers of the Länder - the regional states - accepted the principle of a resumption "mid-May or end of May" and behind closed doors of the championship, which the clubs wished.
"It is nothing more or less to save football," hammered Monday the boss of Borussia Dortmund, Hans-Joachim Watzke. "We have to play as fast as possible. Each week of delay makes the situation more critical. If we resume in June, we can give up," he insisted on Tuesday, evoking a strong signal for the rest of the world, " a certificate of quality of what the Germans have accomplished in this crisis. "
"The health situation varies from country to country, so decisions in France and the Netherlands are different from those in Germany, where the situation is better managed," said the former French international for Bayern Munich. Willy Sagnol, on the Sport1.de site, while wondering: "What will happen if a player or a coach catches the virus?".
Questioned by AFP, UEFA refused to comment, while the European body has continued to push in recent months for a resumption of national championships which allows it to save its lucrative Champions League, including the postponement to August is envisaged. Conversely, the chairman of the FIFA medical commission, Michel d'Hooghe, was "very skeptical" about a return to competition this season.
burs-fcc / jed / sg
© 2020 AFP