President of Serie A club, Brescia, Massimo Cellino, says the club will forfeit its remaining matches if the Serie A season resumes.
Italy’s government officially suspended all sporting events across the country, including Serie A football matches, on March 8 as the country entered lockdown mode.
Brescia has the third-worst recorded cases of coronavirus in the country with more than 8,500 coronavirus cases and more than 1,300 deaths reported in the province.
Cellino did not mince words when discussing the situation saying it “doesn’t make sense anymore” for the season to be restarted.
“This season doesn’t make sense anymore,” Cellino was quoted as saying to Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We’ve stopped, no team will return as before, the matches will be behind closed doors, plus there’s a risk to the health of the athletes. For me to go back to business is pure madness.
“If they force us to play, I’d be willing to not field the team and lose the matches 3-0 out of respect for the citizens of Brescia and their loved ones who are no longer there.”
“We need to change all the national and international rules: players’ contracts, balance sheets, deadlines with the banks, the transfer market, preparation, start of the new season. It will be absolute chaos and for what?,” he queried.
Brescia is currently bottom of Serie A but Cellino says his comments are not geared towards trying to save the club from dropping into Serie B.
“I don’t care at all about relegation,” Cellino said. “So far we have deserved it and I have my blame in that, too,” he said.
