Serie A faces a massive crossroad in Coronavirus crisis

With the Italian Olympic Commission cancelling all sporting events in Italy until at least April 3, the remainder of the Serie A season—and the upcoming European Championships—are under serious threat.

The season in Serie A, in all likelihood, will not end in a traditional 38-game season. After playing games behind closed doors at the weekend, the Italian government has taken further action that has forced the FICG into three main contingency plans for determining a champion and who will remain in the division. With Euro 2020 beginning in Rome on June 12, changes will need to be made

1. The season is vacated

This is perhaps the safest route for the league to take, which would entail essentially declaring no team as the champion, and perhaps more importantly, eliminating the threat of relegation for teams at the bottom. If the virus worsens and the season cannot continue, in my opinion, this is the most likely option to avoid serious conflicts at either end of the table, although it is disappointing for such an incredible title race to end without finality. European places would be determined by the current standings.

2. The season is over, but the current table is final

Very similar to the first contingency plan, but in this case, current standings would crown Juventus as the champions for the ninth straight time, relegating Lecce, SPAL, and Brescia. Lecce would feel seriously hard done by this option, as they are level on points and games played with Genoa in 17th. Lazio, the upstarts and best story of the season this year in Serie A, would also have serious issue with not getting to push Juve for the final 12 games of the campaign.

3. Playoffs

In what would be unprecedented in the history of major European football, playoffs could be used to determine a top flight champion. Lazio and Juventus battling it out in a one-off title match, or even the inclusion of Inter and Atalanta could give the Serie A season the ending it deserves—while ensuring the teams set to be relegated get the chance to fight for their lives on the pitch. This option is the most difficult logistically and in my opinion seems a bit too good to be true, especially given the pressing calendar of Euro 2020 and the lack of containment with regard to Coronavirus, but it would be fantastic.

With the European Championships themselves under threat of being moved to 2021 (which would create another host of issues concerning the UEFA Nations League, the new FIFA Club World Cup, and World Cup Qualifiers), Coronavirus is making waves around the world of football. Serie A is now at the point where finishing the final 12 games on the current schedule appears highly unlikely, with Juventus set to play their second leg Champions League fixture against Lyon at a neutral site and further Coppa Italia complications.

Therefore, all options must be considered. In my opinion, the league season should either be vacated or decided by playoffs, but the latter solution may be challenging to pull off in reality. Football is facing one of its greatest threats, with five out of eight Champions League Round of 16 games being played behind closed doors, postponed matches, and neutral site games, but the sport will find a way to persist.