England Friendlies Against Italy & Denmark Could Be Cancelled Following Coronavirus Outbreak

08 March 2020 12:43

​England's upcoming friendlies against Italy and Denmark are at risk of being cancelled amid growing concern over the outbreak of coronavirus.

The number of people affected is continuing to grow, and there are fears that playing non-competitive sporting fixtures could only exacerbate the situation.

Italy is one of the countries hit worse by coronavirus, with the latest figures (via the ​BBC) revealing that 16 million people have been quarantined in the country as a result of the outbreak.


As it stands, sporting fixtures in Italy will be played without spectators until at least April 3 in a bid to prevent coronavirus spreading further.


With cases in the UK on the rise, ​The Sun report that it is likely England's friendly clashes with Italy and Denmark will be cancelled amid the crisis.


The FA's stance remains that the Wembley clashes on March 27 and 31 will go ahead unless the government intervenes, but there is a growing acceptance that these Three Lions matches will no go ahead as planned.


Italy are also currently embarking on their Six Nations campaign in rugby union, but those fixtures have also been disrupted, with their match in Ireland and home clash with England postponed.

Gareth Southgate

The cancellation of the upcoming England friendlies will be a blow to Gareth Southgate's Euro 2020 preparations, with those clashes seen as opportunities for him to fine-tune his squad, work on tactics and make selection decisions ahead of naming his final squad.

At present, ​Premier League officials are also preparing for the eventuality of the UK government getting involved, with fears being that public events could be limited to just 500 spectators in an effort to minimise the spreading of the disease. That could result in all Premier League fixtures being broadcast on television to allow fans to continue viewing their respective teams.

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Source: 90min