Coronavirus: Inter chief Zhang's 'clown' comment probed by Serie A

Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Whatsapp

FIFA president Gianni Infantino advises football authorities to stay calm during the coronavirus outbreak.

Advertisement

Craig Burley discusses the enticing Europa League round of 16 fixtures and picks his current favourite to win.

Serie A have opened an enquiry into Inter Milan president Steven Zhang following comments made on his Instagram story, in which he criticised Serie A.

Inter's last two Serie A matches -- including the top-of-the-table clash at Juventus -- have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in the north of Italy.

- Marcotti: How coronavirus affects Italy, sports

As of Monday, the death toll in Italy due to coronavirus was 52, with the number of confirmed cases having risen to 1,835. On the pitch, it has caused havoc to the league season, with little space to fit in rearranged matches.

"Playing around the calendar and always putting the public health as a secondary consideration," Zhang wrong. "You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen.

Advertisement

"24 hours 48 hours, seven days? And what else? What's your next step? And now you speak about sportsmanship and fair competition?

"How about we don't protect our players or coaches and ask them to play for you non-stop? Yes I'm speaking at you, our Lega President  Paolo Dal Pino! Shame on you.

"It's time to stand up and take your responsibility! This is what we do in 2020!

"Everybody around the world, doesn't matter if you are Inter fan or Juve fan or no fan at all. Please be safe! This is the most important thing for you, your family, and our society."

Inter's last Serie A outing was the 2-1 defeat at Lazio on Feb. 16, while they are due to welcome Sassuolo to San Siro on Sunday, with a midweek trip to Napoli for their Coppa Italia second leg on Thursday. Inter trail 1-0 from the first meeting.

Source: espn.co.uk