Serie A clubs have been granted permission by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte to resume group training from Monday as part of the country's gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, although a restart date for the league season has yet to be announced.
Italy has experienced some of the world's strictest lockdown measures in an attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which has hit the country hard, with more than 224,000 total cases and over 31,000 deaths, while more than 122,000 people have made full recoveries, based on the latest figures.
Serie A has been suspended since March 9 and a date has not yet been set for the season to resume, although players have returned to individual training while respecting social distancing rules.
Italy was the first European country to be seriously affected by the coronavirus crisis, while Serie A was the first league to play matches without spectators and the first major league to suspend play.
Conte confirmed that football clubs would return to training on Monday along with other sports teams, but could not give any details about when Serie A would return.
On Saturday, Germany's Bundesliga became the first major European league to re-start since the Covid-19 pandemic obliterated the global sporting calendar.
"There are so many pressures to re-start Serie A but it is necessary that the highest safety conditions are in place," Conte said.
"To give a precise date we need to have some more guarantees than those we have at the moment but from what I've been told, we haven't had them yet."
There had been talk that Serie A were targeting a restart on June 13 - the same weekend Spain's La Liga has earmarked for their return - although the plan depends entirely on gaining government approval.
Juventus were leading the Serie A standings by one point over second-placed Lazio with 12 games remaining when the season was halted in March.
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The grim repercussions of Atalanta's Champions League adventure
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Atalanta's Italian goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and teammates celebrate their Champions League win against Valencia. AFP -
Atalanta delight at the San Siro stadium in Milan. AFP -
Atalanta fans cheer during the match at the San Siro stadium in Milan. AFP -
Atalanta's coach Gian Piero Gasperini during the match. AP -
Atalanta's Hans Hateboer, right, scores his side's opening goal. AP -
Josip Ilicic (C) celebrates with his teammates after making it 2-0. EPA -
Remo Freuler scores the third. EPA -
Hans Hateboer scores their fourth goal past Valencia's Jaume Domenech. Reuters -
Hans Hateboer (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal. Atalanta won 4-1. EPA -
Valencia's Denis Cheryshev gets one back. Reuters
