Sports
Italy FA, government meet to decide fate of Serie A
Serie A hopes of following Germany and Spain back onto the pitch will be decided today during a meeting with the Italian government which will determine the fate of the season in football-mad Italy.
Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora will tell Italian football federation and Lega Serie A bosses if the health conditions are right to return after nearly three months.
The Italian season has been on hold since March 9 amid the coronavirus pandemic which has killed almost 33,000 people in the country.
Football clubs returned to group training on May 19 but competitive action remains suspended until mid-June.
Indications are that Spadafora and the government’s Scientific Technical Committee will agree to both the health protocol proposed and to start the season again.
In the case of a favourable decision today, Lega Serie A have scheduled a meeting for Friday morning to examine “the different calendar hypotheses” for the remaining Serie A and Italian Cup matches.
Lega Serie A bosses want competition to resume on the weekend of June 13-14, starting with four postponed fixtures – Atalanta-Sassuolo, Verona-Cagliari, Inter Milan-Sampdoria and Torino-Parma.
They hope the season would resume fully on June 20, with the goal of awarding the league title, defining promotions and relegations, before playing Italian Cup semifinals, with the final in early August.
The closing stages of the European club competitions could also be played in August. Three Italian clubs are still in the Champions League and two in the Europa League
But not everyone agrees with a return to the pitch and the packed schedule required with teams needing to play three matches a week, in hot summer conditions.
Brescia and Torino, situated in the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont respectively, which accounted for nearly 60 percent of Italy’s COVID19 deaths, have consistently opposed to a return.
“To finish this championship is forcing it in my opinion,” Brescia captain Daniele Gastaldello said this week.
“It’s risking the safety of the players.” – AFP
Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew says Ghana will leave nothing on the pitch when they face England in today’s World Cup Group L decider at Gillette Stadium.
With both teams on 3 points, Ayew said his job is to ease pressure on the younger players and hold everyone accountable, himself included.
“I’m doing my best to guide the boys, make them comfortable, take pressure off them, and help us perform,” Ayew told reporters. “I have to perform too. They have to perform too. It’s teamwork. We’re helping each other.”
Ghana come into the Foxborough clash after a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opener.
The captain’s message was simple, “We’re going to give our 100% and we’re going to fight. I’ll make sure when we come off that pitch, we have no regrets.”
The winner takes control of Group L. Kickoff is 4:00 PM ET at Gillette Stadium.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Black Stars forward Brandon Thomas-Asante insists Ghana will carry no pressure into Tuesday’s World Cup showdown with England at Boston Stadium, saying the team’s self-belief and sense of purpose outweigh outside expectations.
Brandon provided a 95th minute assist that helped Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in Toronto.
The win left both Ghana and England level on three points in Group L following the Three Lions 4-2 over Croatia in their opening match.
Speaking to ghanafa.org Thomas-Asante is adamant that external doubt only fuels the squad.
“Everything to the best ability, it’s very much a case of we back ourselves, we believe in ourselves. Whether people on the outside doubt us, believe us, or anything that’s not what we think about. We think about why we’re here. We’re on a mission,” Thomas-Asante said.
The Coventry City forward said that mission removes any weight of expectation. “That means there’s no pressure. It’s even less pressure for us,” he explained.
“We know our fans believe, but we know that some people might want to overlook us. We use that to our advantage preparing properly and believing that we can go and do something,” He added.
England and Ghana both sit on three points heading into the Foxborough clash, with the winner set to take control of Group L. Kickoff at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
News1 week agoNFS, AACMA raise GH¢300K for new fire tender
- News4 days ago
FSD Africa, others launch Green Project Preparation Facility to unlock investment in climate infrastructure in Ghana
- News1 week ago
CSA urges Universities to strengthen cybersecurity following university of Nottingham cyber-attack
