Serie A’s 37th week of fixtures has been thrown into chaos, with five crucial matches, including the highly anticipated Roma vs. Lazio derby, now set to kick off simultaneously at 12:00 local time (11:00 UK time) on Sunday. Other games affected are Como vs. Parma, Genoa vs. Milan, Juventus vs. Fiorentina, and Pisa vs. Napoli.
This decision comes after days of deadlock between local authorities and Serie A, with an emergency appeal rejected by the TAR tribunal. The uncertainty had left ten teams without a confirmed match time for the penultimate round of the season.
Serie A Faces Scheduling Chaos
The necessity for simultaneous kick-offs in the final rounds is a standard practice in football leagues to ensure fair competition, especially when teams are vying for European spots. With the race for Champions League qualification intensely close, several key matchups, including the aforementioned Roma-Lazio clash, needed to be played at the same time.
The primary obstacle was the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the venue for the Roma-Lazio derby. This stadium shares a complex with the Foro Italico, which is scheduled to host the men’s singles final of the Italian Open tennis tournament on Sunday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). Authorities feared that the convergence of a large number of football fans and tennis spectators in the same vicinity would pose a significant public safety risk.
Initially, the local Prefect intervened, ordering the derby to be moved to Monday evening. However, Serie A insisted on a Sunday kick-off, proposing 11:30 local time (10:30 UK time). When negotiations with the Prefect failed, the league appealed to the TAR tribunal, which subsequently returned the decision to the local authorities. A crisis summit was convened to resolve the escalating situation.
The clubs themselves presented conflicting viewpoints. Lazio’s coach, Maurizio Sarri, indicated he would refuse to field a team if forced to play at noon on Sunday, with President Claudio Lotito suggesting he would withdraw the squad. Conversely, Roma expressed support for their fans’ desire to have the match played on Sunday.
Adding further complications, a public transport strike was planned for Monday, making that day an undesirable alternative for the rescheduled fixture.
English Translation:
Serie A Chaos: Roma-Lazio and 4 Other Games at 12:00 Local Time Sunday
Serie A Week 37 games Roma-Lazio, Como-Parma, Genoa-Milan, Juventus-Fiorentina and Pisa-Napoli will all kick off on Sunday at 11:00 UK time (12:00 CEST).
A final decision was made this evening in a crisis summit between the local authorities and the Lega Serie A, having failed to reach an agreement for several days, and seeing the TAR tribunal reject an emergency appeal.
The situation has seen 10 teams unsure what day or time they were going to be on the field for Week 37.
Serie A in Chaos for Days
This is because the final two rounds must be played simultaneously to ensure fairness if an objective is at stake, not giving an advantage by knowing the other results.
As the race for the Champions League spots is so tight, that means Roma-Lazio, Como-Parma, Genoa-Milan, Juventus-Fiorentina and Pisa-Napoli all need to kick off at the same time.
The problem is that Roma vs. Lazio is at the Stadio Olimpico, the same complex as the Foro Italico, where the Italian Open tennis men’s singles final is due to take place on Sunday at 16:00 UK (17:00 CEST).
Having that many thousands of sports fans flocking into the same area would be dangerous, so the local authority Prefect intervened to order it be moved to Monday at 19:45 UK (20:45 CEST).
The Lega Serie A insisted on scheduling it for Sunday at 11:30 UK time (12:30 CEST), so after negotiations with the Prefect failed, they lodged an appeal to the TAR tribunal.
That was kicked back to the local authorities, who organised a summit this evening to get the various warring parties to find a solution.
The clubs have come out with wildly different views, as Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri said he would not turn up and President Claudio Lotito should withdraw the squad if they are forced to play on Sunday at midday.
Roma, on the other hand, backed their supporters who urged for the match to be scheduled on Sunday.
Having it on Monday would also have added issues, because there is a public transport strike scheduled for that day too.