"While we are asking citizens to make enormous sacrifices to prevent the spread of the contagion, it makes no sense to jeopardize the health of players, referees, managers and supporters, who will surely come together to watch the matches, "the minister said in a Facebook post.

Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora on Sunday called for the national football championship to be suspended due to the spread of the new coronavirus epidemic, which has killed 233 people in Italy.

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15 million people in quarantine

"While we are asking citizens to make huge sacrifices to prevent the spread of the contagion, it makes no sense to jeopardize the health of players, referees, managers and supporters, who will surely come together to watch the matches, "said Vincenzo Spadafora, in a message posted on his Facebook account. Italy, with more than 5,880 cases and 233 deaths, is with Iran and South Korea one of the countries most affected, apart from China.

Following the minister's announcement, the kickoff of the first Serie A match of Sunday, pitting Parma against Spal, was delayed by 1.5 hours, the two clubs said on Twitter. A large portion of Italy including the Milan region was placed in quarantine on Sunday, a measure affecting more than 15 million Italians.

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"Other Federations have chosen to stop"

Five games are scheduled for Sunday, the last one pitting Juventus Turin against Cristiano Ronaldo, second in the standings, against Inter Milan by Romelu Lukaku, third, in Piedmont. "I share the statements of Damiano Tommasi, the president of the Italian footballers' union, and I join his request," said Vincenzo Spadafora in his message. "Stopping football is the most useful thing for our country right now," Damiano Tommasi said on Sunday earlier on Twitter.

"Other Federations have wisely chosen to stop for the next few days. I think it is the duty of the President of the Federation (Gabriele) Gravina to think a little more, without waiting for the first case of contamination (in football), "said the Italian sports minister.