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Juventus received the 3-0 victory by default and Napoli scored a point as the Disciplinary Commission ruled that Partenopei did not follow the COVID-19 protocol.
Napoli did not travel to Turin for the Serie A Week 3 match on October 4 because two players tested positive for COVID-19, Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas.
The club argued that the local ASL (health authority) had banned it from traveling, which urged the team to isolate themselves as a precaution.
Juve and Lega Serie A noted that this had been taken into account by the existing COVID-19 protocol accepted by all clubs before the season began and two cases did not justify withdrawal from the match.
The Disciplinary Commission has ruled that Napoli did not have sufficient reasons to justify missing the match.
The ASL could technically override the Series A protocol, but the investigation decided that this did not warrant ‘force majeure’, unforeseeable circumstances to prevent their travel.
As a result, Napoli are automatically owed a 3-0 loss in the match that was not played, plus a point is waived as a punishment for not attending the scheduled match.
The Serie A protocol agreed by all clubs and UEFA states that as long as a team has 13 players available, including at least one goalkeeper, the game must continue.
Napoli is expected to file an appeal.
The ruling makes clear that although ASL’s initial message made it ‘difficult’ to travel to Turin, it was not a total ban until Sunday, by which time Napoli had already canceled its flight and hotel.
The Disciplinary Commission also states that it is not in a position to pass a value judgment on Napoli’s decision.
They only have two options to choose from: force majeure prevented Napoli from traveling or the club had to receive a 3-0 defeat and score a point.
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