MADRID (AP) — Italian soccer club Roma will not travel to Spain for its Europa League match against Sevilla on Thursday because of restrictions prompted by the coronavirus outbreak, and the president of Spanish club Getafe said his team will not fly to Italy to play Inter Milan.
Roma said Wednesday it will not travel for the match because “the plane from Italy was not authorized to land in Spain.”
Spain has reported a sharp increase in cases this week, prompting authorities to close schools and halt direct flights to and from Italy.
The spreading virus has affected sports around the world, forcing many professional soccer games in Europe to be played in empty stadiums and canceling dozens of other events from tennis to gymnastics.