Inter Milan vs Getafe postponed after Spanish side’s president refuses to let team travel to Italy for Europa League tie

Competition’s round-of-16 tie was scheduled for Thursday evening

Getafe's Spanish forward Jaime Mata (AFP via Getty Images)

Uefa have confirmed the scheduled Europa League fixture between Getafe and Inter Milan on Thursday has been postponed, after Getafe’s president said his team would not travel to Italy because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Angel Torres said he did not want to risk his players’ health by travelling to an area struggling to contain the spread of the virus. He also said he was concerned the team would not be able to return to Spain because of travel restrictions.

Uefa cited the travel restrictions as the reason for the game’s postponement, and also said Roma’s clash with Sevilla in Spain would not take place on Thursday for the same reason.

“If we are eliminated because of that, so be it,” Torres told Spanish radio station Onda Cero late Tuesday. “I’m not going to be the one taking any risks. I’m not going to go to a place where I don’t want to go.”

The spreading virus has affected sports around the world, forcing many professional football games in Europe to be played in empty stadiums and cancelling dozens of other events from tennis to gymnastics. It has also put into question whether Tokyo will be able to host the Olympics in July and August.

Torres’ comments came after a joint statement by the Italian and Spanish players’ associations asking Uefa to suspend matches featuring clubs from those countries. They said the games should be played only when safety conditions are more appropriate.

On Tuesday, Spain announced that all sports events with a significant number of people must be played without fans, while Italy on Monday suspended all sporting events until 3 April. Italy is the country with most coronavirus cases in Europe, and Spain this week reported a sharp increase in cases.

Torres said he spoke to Inter officials and was told the Italian club recognised it did not make sense for Getafe to play the match in Italy.

AP