Government recommends FC Barcelona-Napoli match be played behind closed doors
Executive and Catalan football club will hold meetings this week as 5,000 Italian fans have tickets for Champions League game
The Catalan government has recommended that the upcoming Champions League football match between FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli be played behind closed doors.
The game is scheduled for March 18, at 9pm CET, with a spot in the competition's quarter-finals at stake – the first leg ended in an indecisive 1-1 draw.
On Monday morning, Catalonia's secretary general for sport, Gerard Figueras, said that the match should be played without fans present as a "precaution."
However, he also said that a final decision has not been made yet and that the executive will discuss the issue with FC Barcelona during the week.
Talking to the Catalunya Ràdio station, Figueras said that the match should be played "with the minimum possible risk."
He also said that on Saturday some government officials discussed the fate of certain sports events, including the upcoming FC Barcelona game, and decided to postpone Barcelona's marathon.
Figueras admitted that, although Napoli is not an area in quarantine, Italy is a country that poses a risk. So far, 5,000 Italian fans have bought tickets for the match in Barcelona.