Italian Serie A Given Green Light To Resume On June 20

The 2019/2020 season of the Italian Serie A will on June 20 resume action, following a meeting between league bosses and the Italian government, Sports Minister, Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday.

The league has been suspended since March 10 due to the coronavirus outbreak which has ravaged the Italian nation.

Spadafora made the announcement after a conference call with representatives from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the players' association and the Serie A league.

He said: "Italy is starting up again and it's only right that football can also get going," he told reporters, adding that the government had approved health measures suggested by the FIGC plus a backup plan in case the league had to be stopped again. "In the light of this we can say that the championship can start again on June 20."

Spadafora also disclosed that there's a possibility the Coppa Italia could resume a week earlier than Serie A, with the semi-final second legs on June 13 and the final on June 17.

The League bosses had initially envisaged June 13 as a potential restart date, but that was ruled out by the extension of the national lockdown to June 14 in the country by the government.

The announcement comes on the same day that the Premier League said it will return to action on June 17. Spain's La Liga is also hoping to return by June 11, with the Bundesliga already back in action in Germany.

Champions of last season, Juventus, lead the table with a point ahead of Lazio, and both sides still have 12 matches remaining, while Inter Milan are nine points off the top in third, having played a game fewer.