Serie A: How Italians cope with no soccer during coronavirus outbreak

In an effort to cut down on infection, Serie A, along with sports leagues around the world, have come to a halt. Here’s what the past weekend looked like.

This is a space normally reserved for what’s going on in Serie A. Italy’s pro soccer league is on hold, like so much of our daily lives, since the COVID-19 pandemic started taking a large toll on the country’s population.

Outside of China (where the virus originated in Wuhan province), Italy has been the hardest hit country. The number of those infected nationwide topped 20,000 over the weekend. Some 1,800 people had died as of Sunday while the country enters another week of being on total lockdown in an effort to flatten the curve.

With no soccer to watch, Italians have taken to singing the national anthem and waving Italian flags from their balconies, signs of patriotism usually reserved for soccer matches. Streets are deserted and stores are closed. These exceptional measures are now in effect across nearby France and Spain.

At the same time, many players have gone into self-isolation (including Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo) after coming into contact with teammates who tested positive for the coronavirus. Teams like Juventus, Sampdoria and Atalanta have gone into a two-week period of quarantine.

With the pandemic spreading and number of cases rise, the possibility of resuming league competition in May remains a hope. Teams rejected a plan last week that would have used playoffs to determine a champion and determine relegation.

Serie A’s official Twitter account sent out words of encouragement on Saturday.

“We’ll hug each other again. Everything is gonna be all right,” the tweet read.

There remains hope, Italy coach Roberto Mancini said, that the Azzurri can win the European Championship, scheduled for this summer. UEFA has yet to determine whether the tournament should be moved to next year.

Some teams continue to train behind closed doors, but even that has become controversial for fear that it can help spread the virus. Lazio, for example, continues to train. The Rome-based club are currently second in the standings behind Juventus.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne serenaded fans on his balcony, while his teammate, Belgium international Dries Mertens, was spotted jogging down a quiet street while wearing a surgical mask and lifting a large champagne bottle during a rooftop workout just to stay in shape. Players are also donating money to hospitals and charities, especially in northern Italy where the pandemic has been most lethal. Juventus, for example, has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money.

To cope with no games and home confinement, Italians were treated this weekend to a replay of the seven games Italy played en route to the 2006 World Cup title in Germany. Sky Sport Italia televised the games in an effort to raise morale. Italy defeated France on penalties that summer.

This too shall pass. We’ll soon be arguing again over who’s up, who’s down and what it all means. In the meantime, stay home, wash your hands and our lives will return to normal soon.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.