Getafe Refuse To Travel To Milan For Europa League Game Amid Coronavirus Fears
La Liga outfit Getafe have refused to take its players to Italy for the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie against Inter Milan amid coronavirus fears.
Italy is said to be the worst affected country outside of China where the virus originated, and the entire country is on lockdown due to several cases of the virus.
The Italian National Olympic Committee announced on Monday that the country is canceling sporting events until April 3 due to coronavirus concerns.
Getafe’s game against Antonio Conte’s men is scheduled for Thursday, March 11 at the San Siro, but the Azulones have asked for a different venue, which was rejected by UEFA.
The Spanish club’s president Angel Torres has admitted his team will not take any risk of playing in Italy and insists Getafe would not mind boycotting the tie.
"Unless [the situation] changes a lot, Getafe won't be travelling to Italy," he said on Onda Cero.
"We've asked UEFA to find an alternative to playing in Milan. “We don't want to put ourselves in the epicenter of coronavirus; we don't need to.
"We've also asked the [Spanish Football] Federation for help in demanding the suspension [of the match]."If we have to lose the tie, we lose it.
"I'm not the type of person to run any risks. “We’re really excited [to play Inter], but if it has to be like this, it will be."
