TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 04: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus watches during Serie A match between … [+]
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On Tuesday, the Betting Board of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the highest tribunal in Italian sport, approved SSC Napoli’s claim against Juventus.
Last October the Partenopei they got a 3-0 loss and a one-point allowance for not showing up for the game against Juventus in Turin amid upset about the COVID-19 protocol.
With a surprising decision, the CONI board rejected the first birth – previously confirmed by the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) and Serie A, ordering the game to be played again and returning the one-point dock for SSC Napoli.
The match between Juventus and SSC Napoli, which was originally set for October 4 in Turin, did not take place because the guest never traveled to the Allianz Stadium.
SSC Napoli had argued that their local health authority banned the travel squad due to two advanced COVID-19 cases in the squad, namely smart midfielder Piotr Zielinski and North Macedon player Eljif Elmas.
The match was scheduled just days after Napoli played Genoa, which then developed more than a dozen COVID cases.
TURIN, ISLAND – DECEMBER 22: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus shows his disdain at the end of … [+]
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However, Serie A rejected SSC Napoli’s request to cancel the game, claiming that the Partenopei had not “adhered to the league’s COVID-19 protocols”, meaning it was their own ability to show up for the game. .
Under Serie A rule, SSC Napoli should have followed the existing COVID-19 protocol, which all clubs adopted prior to the season.
As a result, the league’s disciplinary tribunal took the game to Juventus and put SSC Napoli to one point.
“It’s a victory for David against Goliath, in the sense that everyone thought we would lose, as long as CONI proved us right,” said Napoli SSC lawyer Mattia Grassani , who said the ruling was “historic”.
SSC Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis also expressed satisfaction about the birth on Twitter.
“We are happy. We live in a country where anyone who respects the law cannot be sentenced. And Naples will always follow the rules ”.
Juventus CFO Fabio Paratici, on the other hand, coldly accepted the decision.
“The first thing we do is we have always been isolated and incapable of the situation,” he told Sky Sports Italy.
“When they ask us to play, we take the ball and we’ll be there. In fact, we were ready to play on October 4th ”.
As a result of the ruling, the Serie A table changes, as Juventus fall from 27 points to 24, while SSC Napoli climbs to 24 in the third position.
In addition to the controversy that the definitive decision will reflect, the decision leaves Serie A with two major issues.
HOME, ISLAND – DECEMBER 20: Naples head coach Gennaro Gattuso will be watching him at the Serie A match. … [+]
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The first is about finding a date to reorganize the game, as the Serie A calendar is already packaged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italian media reports that the match could be rescheduled for January 13, but it remains to be seen whether the two teams will continue on the path in international tournaments.
With Andrea Pirlo’s squad facing Porto in the Sixteenth Champions League round and Gennaro Gattuso’s men traveling to Granada on February 18, there is little room for flexibility in the fixtures.
If the specified date is confirmed, the Bianconeri 5 matches against just 15 days, including the Supercoppa Italia final against SSC Napoli, scheduled for 20 January.
The second issue is that the decision sets a potentially precedent precedent for Serie A and jeopardizes the COVID-19 protocol, which has been applied specifically to similar situations. to avoid.
The Italian league protocol for coronavirus cases is the same as UEFA rules.
If a team has 13 players available, including at least one goalkeeper, the game can still happen, but SSC Napoli ‘s judgment could entice other teams to follow suit, the hopefully the game will be reorganized if they have a number of advanced COVID-19 cases.