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Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino says Inter Milan refused to play the weekend’s postponed match against Juventus on Monday with doors open to the public.
Five Serie A matches due to take place this weekend, including Juventus vs Inter, were postponed on Saturday due to the coronavirus and have been rescheduled for May 13.
The Milan club are said to be surprised by Dal Pino’s accusation that they refused to play the match and insist the health of their players, club officials and supporters is their priority.
Inter also felt a Monday fixture against Juventus would also not allow enough time for their players to recover for Thursday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Napoli in Naples. Juventus face Milan in Turin in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
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In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter CEO Beppe Marotta said the decision to reschedule the match had “distorted” the fixture list and insisted playing behind closed doors was no longer a viable option.
But Dal Pino says Inter were offered the opportunity to play the match in front of a crowd, something which he claims Inter declined.
“On Friday the CEO Luigi De Siervo and I proposed to Inter to move the match against Juventus on Monday evening to play it with open doors,” Dal Pino is reported to have said by Italian news agency ANSA.
“Inter categorically refused to take the field, assume its responsibilities and do not speak of unsporting situations or a distorted championship.”
