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Serie A's biggest match will be played in empty stadium

DANIELLA MATAR
·2 min read
  • Inter Milan's head coach Antonio Conte sits on the bench before an Europa League, round of 32, first leg, soccer match between PFC Ludogorets Razgrad and Inter Milan at Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad, Bulgaria, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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    Bulgaria Soccer Europa League

    Inter Milan's head coach Antonio Conte sits on the bench before an Europa League, round of 32, first leg, soccer match between PFC Ludogorets Razgrad and Inter Milan at Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad, Bulgaria, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
  • A notice outside San Siro stadium advises that the Serie A match between Inter and Sampdoria is cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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    Italy Virus Outbreak Europe

    A notice outside San Siro stadium advises that the Serie A match between Inter and Sampdoria is cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
  • A view of the San Siro stadium where the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Sampdoria was cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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    Italy Virus Outbreak Europe

    A view of the San Siro stadium where the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Sampdoria was cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
  • People wear sanitary masks as they ride an empty tram in downtown Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Italy has been struggling to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that has given the country more coronavirus cases outside Asia than anywhere else. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
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    Italy Virus Outbreak

    People wear sanitary masks as they ride an empty tram in downtown Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Italy has been struggling to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that has given the country more coronavirus cases outside Asia than anywhere else. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
  • A woman walks by the desert Olympic stadium in Turin Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Torino’s match at home to Parma was postponed hours before kickoff on Sunday, following new cases the coronavirus in Piedmont. (Nicolò Campo/LaPresse via AP)
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    Italy China Outbreak Europe

    A woman walks by the desert Olympic stadium in Turin Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Torino’s match at home to Parma was postponed hours before kickoff on Sunday, following new cases the coronavirus in Piedmont. (Nicolò Campo/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's head coach Antonio Conte sits on the bench before an Europa League, round of 32, first leg, soccer match between PFC Ludogorets Razgrad and Inter Milan at Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad, Bulgaria, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A notice outside San Siro stadium advises that the Serie A match between Inter and Sampdoria is cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A view of the San Siro stadium where the Serie A soccer match between Inter and Sampdoria was cancelled, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region by the spread of the Coronavirus with 90 cases, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. Lombardy's ban on public events also extended to Masses in churches in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
People wear sanitary masks as they ride an empty tram in downtown Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Italy has been struggling to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that has given the country more coronavirus cases outside Asia than anywhere else. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
A woman walks by the desert Olympic stadium in Turin Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. Torino’s match at home to Parma was postponed hours before kickoff on Sunday, following new cases the coronavirus in Piedmont. (Nicolò Campo/LaPresse via AP)

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte won't have to sit through a torrent of boos when he returns to Turin for the first time to face former club Juventus.

That’s because there won't be any fans there to see it.

The Derby d'Italia, one of the season’s biggest matches, will be played in an empty stadium on Sunday because of the virus outbreak in northern Italy. The epicenter of the outbreak is in the Lombardy region, and Milan is its capital.

Serie A’s governing body released a statement on Thursday night announcing that the match and four others would be played without any fans allowed in.

Four Serie A matches scheduled for last weekend were postponed, including Inter’s match against Sampdoria. Italy has the most cases of the virus in Europe.

Serie A president Paolo Dal Pinto sent a letter to the government on Monday asking that games no longer be postponed in the affected areas but played without fans in attendance, something which Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said they were in agreement with.

Italy has reported a total of 650 cases of the new coronavirus, up from 400 on Wednesday evening and three a week ago. Three more people with the virus died in 24 hours, bringing Italy's toll to 15.

Italy has closed schools, museums and theaters in the two hardest hit regions and troops are enforcing quarantines around 10 towns in Lombardy and the epicenter of the Veneto cluster, Vo'Euganeo.

Inter’s Europa League match against Ludogorets went ahead in an empty stadium on Thursday.

On Sunday, Conte will return to Juventus as opposition coach for the first time since he left the club in 2014. Conte led Juventus to the first three of its eight straight league titles and also spent most of his playing career with the Bianconeri.

“Soccer needs the crowd, to hear the atmosphere around it,” Conte said. “That’s the best thing about the game, the atmosphere around the soccer being played. These decisions have been taken with public health in mind but I hope that everything returns to normal as soon as possible.”

Inter trails the Serie A leaders by six points, although it has played a match less. Juventus, meanwhile, will have to bounce back from Wednesday’s surprise 1-0 loss at Lyon in the Champions League.

“We didn't play the match we wanted. We have a lot of work to do,” Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey said. “Let's focus on ourselves and do better than we did today, starting on Sunday with Inter."

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