Coronavirus forces Barcelona-Napoli UCL tie to be staged behind closed doors
Local government and the Catalan club have decided on the measure as coronavirus concerns grow throughout the Iberian peninsula.
The Champions League Round of 16 return leg at Camp Nou next week between Barcelona and Napoli will be staged behind closed doors. The move came after a meeting held between members of the football club and a team of representatives from local Catalan government.
This will be the second time in the past few years that Camp Nou will be empty following the decision by the club to stage the LaLiga clash on October 1st 2017 against Las Palmas without fans following civil unrest in the region and city.
The club were anxious in principle to hold the game with local fans and prohibit the sale of match tickets to non season ticket holders but in the end given the new wave of measures being drafted by the Spanish government in a bid to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the decision was ultimately taken as a precautionary measure. As far as AS understands, UEFA have adopted a position on the fringe and will implement an organisational policy in line with the Inter-Ludogorets Europa League tie staged at San Siro also behind closed doors.
At present, it's still not clear if the Italian side will be allowed to travel to the Catalan capital after the new decree implemented by the Italian government restricting travel and and out of the country.