Football news - Serie A could shut down if player contracts coronavirus

The Italian government has ordered all sporting competitions to be played behind closed doors until April 3 in a bid to control the spread of the disease, which has killed around 200 people in the country.

"We have to be realistic, the real risk exists and, in those circumstances, we would take all necessary measures to guarantee the protection of our athletes, and then consider what impact it could have on sporting competition," Gravina told Rai.

When asked if the league could be suspended altogether, he said: "We can’t rule anything out, but neither should we come up with hypotheses that we can’t predict."

Serie A fixtures will resume in empty stadiums this weekend after several games were suspended over the last two rounds.

Six fixtures postponed last weekend will be played on Sunday and Monday behind closed doors, including a top-of-the-table clash between Juventus and Inter Milan in Turin.