Sevilla v Roma postponed as flight grounded in Italy due to coronavirus

Roma have announced they will not travel to Spain for their Europa League match against Sevilla on Thursday after their flight from Italy was not authorised to land.

The Italian club tweeted: “AS Roma will not go to Spain for the Europa League match against Sevilla due to lack of authorisation from local authorities. More details will be announced by Uefa.”

This week the Spanish government cancelled all flights to and from Italy in an attempt to contain the coronavirus but the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium had been scheduled to go ahead in line with measures taken in Spain for all games to be played without fans until 22 March.

The squad will now stay in Italy, where all matches have been suspended until 3 April amid a nationwide lockdown. The country has been one of the worst hit by coronavirus, with over 10,000 cases and 631 deaths recorded so far.

In Germany, a second division player at Hannover has become the first professional footballer to test positive for the virus. The club say their defender Timo Hubers, 23, is in quarantine at home while the rest of the playing staff will be tested.

“It is assumed that Hübers got infected at an event in Hildesheim on Saturday evening,” the club said in a statement. “Since the 23-year-old has had no contact with his teammates since the infection, which can be precisely localised, it cannot be assumed that teammates have become infected. Nevertheless, we will act responsibly – the entire professional squad, trainer team and staff will be tested for the virus as a precaution.”

Meanwhile in France, the French League Cup final between Paris St-Germain and Lyon, initially scheduled for 4 April, has been postponed. The French League (LFP) said on Wednesday: “A new date will be set depending on the evolution of the sanitary situation and on both club’s future in European competitions.”

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PSG face Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday evening, while Lyon are scheduled to play Juventus in Turin without fans next Tuesday. France has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected 1,784 people and killed 33 in the country.

source: theguardian.com