Italian Soccer Club Plays First Match In An Empty Stadium

Sports fans might want to get used to this.

Italian Serie A soccer team Inter Milan cemented its spot in the next round of the Europa League last night, but not a single fan was present at San Siro Stadium to watch, according to CNN.

As Lombardy, Italy’s hardest-hit region, struggles to contain the virus before a cluster emerges in Milan, Italy’s most densely populated city, the Milanese football club was forced to play the match without anybody there to witness it, as Italians wrestle with the fact that these ’emergency measures’ will likely remain in place for some time.

Across the world, in Japan, China, South Korea and elsewhere, sporting events have been cancelled as part of containment measures targeting large crowds and gatherings where the virus could easily spread.

This weekend, five more Serie A matches will be contested before empty stadiums.

Inter Milan triumphed over Bulgaria’s Ludogorets in the match, 2-1.