Napoli given the green light to restart training next week as Serie A clubs eye a return to action from coronavirus lockdown

Napoli have been given the green light to restart training next week by regional authorities as Serie A clubs eye a return to action from the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. The Campania region, where Napoli are based, said in a statement that "the region's positive ruling has already be sent to the government", adding that it had asked for an OK as soon as possible "in order to enable training to restart on Monday". Campania is the second region in Italy to allow its local Serie A club to recommence preparations, under strict health guidelines, at their training ground after Emilia-Romagna made a similar ruling on Friday for Bologna, Parma, SPAL and Sassuolo. Lazio, which hosts the Rome-based club of the same name and city rivals Roma, Hellas Verona's home the Veneto and Sardinia, where Cagliari are based, are expected to follow suit. The announcement comes despite a government decree which stops players from training at their locked-off sports centres where social distancing could be guaranteed, but allows them to run in public parks. On Friday, Vincenzo De Luca, the governor of Campania, said that club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had "guaranteed two swab tests a week for his players" as part of safety measures for the team. “At their camp, [Napoli] have three pitches that ensure a distance of 20 metres between players," De Luca added. "They can train at different times, without sharing the changing rooms and using their own means of transportation." Italy is preparing to relax its lockdown on Monday as the Covid-19 numbers continue a positive trend. The virus has killed more than 28,000 people in the country. Many regions have had a fraction of the number of deaths experienced by Lombardy and Piedmont in the north. On Friday, Serie A unanimously voted to finish the 2019-20 season, suspended since March 9. However, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora this week said the chances of restarting were "increasingly narrow". He also vowed to ensure that football's finances would be "damaged as little as possible" should the season be declared over. There are 12 rounds of matches still to play in Serie A plus a number of outstanding games from previous rounds. Reigning champions Juventus are one point clear of Lazio at the top. _________________________________________________

Napoli given the green light to restart training next week as Serie A clubs eye a return to action from coronavirus lockdown

Campania becomes second region in Italy to allow its local Serie A club to recommence preparations