Italy sends a message of hope for the European summit match in the "stronghold of Corona"
The name of the Italian city of Bergamo was associated with the new Corona virus pandemic with the beginning of the epidemic in Italy last February, and here is football that honors it by hosting its Dutch counterpart in the European Nations League competitions tomorrow.
The "Atsori" national team will host its guest, Orange, in the fourth round of Group A, first level, in Bergamo, after it played its only previous match at home in this year's edition in Florence against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Returning to Bergamo is a duty for football and a sign of hope for all fans," said Italian Football Federation President Gabriele Gravina last September when announcing the transfer of the match from Milan.
Gravina was hoping that some fans would be on the field, but his health would not allow that.
As the permitted number in Italian stadiums should not exceed a thousand people, and it may be reduced soon.
The doors will remain closed to the public tomorrow evening, but the heads of 243 municipalities from Bergamo province in the Lombardy region in the north of the country have been invited, in addition to a delegation representing the two main hospitals in the city to attend the confrontation.
Choosing the "Athlete Azzurri d'Italia" stadium over the San Siro in Milan is above all practical: avoid playing a match behind closed doors in Italy's largest stadium, which seats 75,000.
But at the same time it allows showing the solidarity of Italian football with the "symbolic city" of the epidemic, according to the federation.
The province of Bergamo, the most affected by the Corona virus, along with the province of Brescia, has a special place for Italy, which was the first European country to be affected by the epidemic, as the number of deaths in the city and the province is estimated at about 7,000 people.
And no one forgot the photos of the military trucks transporting the coffins to churches after the cemeteries were full.
The 2006 world champion players arrived in the city on Monday evening after training the same morning in Gdansk after their goalless draw against Poland on Sunday. 1 with Turkey.
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Italy national team,
Corona Virus