Spanish and German leagues to ban fans, Serie A suspended

Mar 11, 2020 06:00 am

Spain's La Liga will follow other competitions by playing behind closed doors for at least the next two rounds due to the spread of the coronavirus, it was announced yesterday.

Next week's Champions League last-16, second leg between Barcelona and Napoli at the Nou Camp will also take place without spectators.

In Germany, this Saturday's Ruhr Derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 will be played in front of empty stands, after the German Bundesliga also acted, but left it to each state's authorities.

Among those who followed suit are Bayern Munich, whose Champions League last-16, second leg with Chelsea next week will also be a closed-door affair.

This came after the Italian government's suspension of all sports events in the country until April 3, including its top-flight football competition, the Serie A, which had already seen several games take place behind closed doors.

Manchester United's Europa League last-16 tie against Austria's LASK on Friday morning will also be played in an empty stadium, the Austrian Bundesliga side said yesterday.