Not unexpectedly, the Italian Federation of American Football, FIDAF ( (Federazione Italiana Di American Football), has announced that the 2020 senior men’s seasons have now been cancelled.
The federation had initially postponed the start of the season and then issued a statement 10 days ago that a decision was forthcoming after Easter. Today they released the news that they are shutting down the senior men’s leagues, Div. I, Div. 2 and CIF9 (3rd division).
“The persistence of the health emergency in our country, the extension of the “lockdown” measures imposed by the Government and the impossibility of planning the resumption of training in a certain and uniform way throughout Italy, led President Orlando, in agreement with CONI, to officially cancel the 2020 tackle senior season this morning. The First and Second Division Championships and the 9-player Championship (CIF9), therefore, will not be played, ‘in order to protect the health of athletes, technicians, referees, managers, all the members involved in the performance of competitive activities and their families’ .”
However, FIDAF is holding 0ut hope of salvaging the senior and junior flag football leagues as well as the junior (u19) tackle football league. A decision on those will be made at a future date, depending on the situation.
Current coronavirus situation in Italy
Apparently, Italy has begun to ease some of the lockdown measures as health officials have been optimistic about the epidemic flattening out in recent days. The few businesses approved to reopen — mainly shops selling books, stationary and childrens’ clothes — are still required to follow strict safety protocols, according to the government. Social distancing inside the stores is compulsory, with customers having to wear protective masks and gloves. Shops will also have to be sanitized twice a day and ensure proper ventilation. Although there seems to have been a downturn in the number of new cases and fatalities in Italy, the country remains one of the hardest hit in the world. There have been a total of 159,516 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Italy and 20,465 deaths. In a population of 60.5 million, that corresponds to a ratio of 338 deaths per one million population, third highest in the world behind Spain (386) and Belgium (359).