Italy will play next month’s UEFA Nations League home match against The Netherlands in Bergamo to honour the town that was severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic earlier in the year.
Besides remembering the people who died in Bergamo, the Italian football federation (FIGC) said on Monday the match was relocated from Milan’s Giuseppe Meazza to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
It added that the Oct. 14 match would take place behind closed doors
.
“The Azzurri, who will be in Bergamo from Oct. 12 onwards, will pay homage to the city, while adhering to all the necessary sanitary protocols,” FIGC said.
Bergamo and its province, which lies east of Milan, reported thousands of cases when the pandemic peaked in northern Italy during March and April.
Coronavirus deaths have since considerably dropped in the country, where more than 35,000 casualties have been reported.
The Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia has recently been renovated to host Atalanta’s UEFA Champions League games.
Italy last played in Bergamo in 2006.
Italy will play a friendly against Moldova in Florence on Oct. 7, a match originally scheduled to take place in Parma.
Four days later, the national team will visit Poland in Danzig for the third round of the Nations League.
Italy are top in Group A1 of the competition’s top tier.(dpa/NAN)
