On Tuesday, the Guarantee Board of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the italian sport court, accepted SSC Napoli’s appeal against Juventus.
Last October, Partenopei suffered a 3-0 defeat and a one-point draw to show off in the opposite setting to Juventus in Turin amid confusion over the COVID-19 protocol.
With an unexpected decision, CONI’s board of directors overturned the first verdict, which in the past had been shown through the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Serie A, ordering that the adjustment be repeated and revoking the mooring of a point for SSC Napoli.
The confrontation between Juventus and SSC Napoli, scheduled for October 4 in Turin, never materialized because the guest never went to the Allianz Stadium.
SSC Napoli had argued that his local fitness authority had prevented the team from travelling due to two instances of COVID-19 on the team, namely Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Northern Macedonian player Eljif Elmas.
The attack was scheduled just days after Napoli played in Genoa, which later developed more than a dozen instances of COVID.
However, Serie A rejected SSC Napoli’s request to cancel the adjustment, saying that Partenopei “did not adhere to the league’s COVID-19 protocols”, meaning its inability to appear to fit into its own fact.
According to The Serie A decision, SSC Napoli have followed the existing COVID-19 protocol, which was accepted into all clubs prior to the season.
As a result, the league disciplinary court confessed the adjustment to Juventus and tied SSC Napoli through one point.
“This is David’s victory opposed to Goliath, in the sense that everyone thought we were going to lose, while CONI agreed with us,” said SSC lawyer Napoli Mattia Grassani, who called the resolution “historic. “
SSC Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis expressed satisfaction with the Verdict on Twitter.
“We are happy. We live in a country where no one who respects the law cannot be convicted. And Naples follows the rules. “
For his part, Fabio Paratici, chief financial officer of Juventus, reacted coolly to this decision.
“The first comment we make is that we have been foreign and oblivious to the situation,” he told Sky Sports Italia.
“When they tell us to play, we’ll bring the ball and we’ll be there. After all, we were in a position to play on October 4. “
As a result of the decision, Serie A qualifying changes, with Juventus moving from 27 issues to 24, while SSC Napoli rise to 24 in third place.
Apart from the controversy that the verdict will generate, the resolution leaves Serie A with two big problems.
The first is a date to reschedule the match, as the Serie A schedule is already full due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italian media report that the adjustment may be postponed until 13 January, however, it remains to be known whether the two groups will continue their lead in foreign competitions.
With Andrea Pirlo facing Porto in the 16th Champions League circular and Gennaro Gattuso’s men travelling to Granada on February 18, there is little room for flexibility in matches.
If the proposed date is confirmed, the Bianconeri will face five matches in just 15 days, adding the final Supercoppa Italia against SSC Napoli, scheduled for 20 January.
The challenge of the moment is that the verdict sets a potentially disruptive precedent for Serie A and jeopardizes the COVID-19 protocol, which was instituted in particular to avoid similar circumstances.
The Italian league protocol for coronavirus is the same as UEFA rules.
If a team has thirteen players available, adding at least one goalkeeper, the adjustment can still take place, however, the SSC Napoli verdict can cause other groups to attach to the game, hoping to see the rescheduled setting if they had multiple positive cases. COVID-19.
I’m a football journalist passionate about everything that looks like the charming game, from games to the football business and stadiums.