Fans banned from Barca vs Napoli Champions League tie over coronavirus

Barcelona’s Champions League round of 16 return match against Napoli on March 18 has been ordered to be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, both clubs announced Tuesday.

“The Champions League match scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, between FC Barcelona and Napoli, will be played at Camp Nou behind closed doors,” the Spanish giants said on Twitter.

Two other Champions League matches — Tuesday’s tie between Valencia and Atalanta in Spain, and Wednesday’s Paris Saint-Germain v Borussia Dortmund match – are scheduled to be played in empty stadiums in efforts to curb the spread of the killer virus.

PSG’s match at the Parc des Princes was forced behind closed doors after the French government announced a ban on all gatherings of more than 1,000 people in a country where 1,412 cases of COVID-19 infections have been recorded and 25 deaths.

The announcement was closely followed by the postponement of the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland scheduled for Saturday in Paris. 

Spanish club Valencia’s match against Atalanta was considered high risk and ordered behind closed doors because the Italian side come from Bergamo in the Lombardy region, one of the areas of Italy most affected by the virus.

Italy, Europe’s worst-hit country with 9,172 cases and 463 deaths, on Monday banned all sporting events until April 3, suspending all Serie A football fixtures.

Barcelona said the match would be played without spectators in line with recommendations from the regional Catalan government.

The decision was taken following a meeting between club officials and Catalan medical staff earlier Tuesday.

“The decision was taken on medical grounds,” Catalonia’s health chief Joan Graux said following the meeting.

Napoli, meanwhile, were forced to deny press reports that they had asked for the match to be postponed.

“Napoli abides by decisions taken by the Italian government and UEFA.” the club tweeted, describing the reports as fake news.