The coronavirus, which is increasingly paralyzing the football world every day, is ruining the plans of the UEFA Europa League.
It has already been announced that part of the quarter-final matches will be played behind closed doors, but on Wednesday it became clear that one set of matches should not take place at all.
On Thursday, the Europa League quarter-final series in Milan was due to start with the teams "Inter" and "Getafe," but the latter's president, Angel Torres, revealed that the team will not travel to Milan due to the huge risk, even though the matches would be played without spectators.
"The Spanish authorities, whose decisions we must respect, have banned flights from Italy. The Italian authorities, fearing an even greater spread of the virus, have stopped all championships. I don't see why we should take the risk and play matches in Milan.
"We want to compete against 'Inter,' our fans are eagerly awaiting these matches. However, even if our decision means an automatic loss, we will accept it with our heads held high," A. Torres told radio station "Onda Cero."
The president of "Getafe" also did not spare criticism of the UEFA organization itself.
"There are people who are afraid of receiving sanctions from UEFA, but I am afraid of contact with those who are infected with this virus. We would have to go to the epicenter of the disease, where 262 people died in two days.
If we were to take the risk and come into contact with sick people, then we would have to stop the Spanish championships, and we certainly do not want that. We will ask for help from the Spanish Football Federation, but I don't know what influence they can have in this situation.
We cannot play under such conditions. Health always comes first," added A. Torres.
This evening, a special press conference is scheduled to clarify the fate of these matches.
In Italy, more than 10,000 people have already been infected with the COVID-19 virus, and this disease has also claimed more than 600 lives.
