Inter To Play Ludogorets Behind Closed Doors Over Coronavirus Fears

European football governing body, UEFA, has announced that Inter and Ludogorets will play the second leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday at the San Siro behind closed doors.

The decision has been taken by the governing body due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in Italy with five people having died in the country and hundreds of others testing positive.

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Inter, who come into this match on the back of a 2-0 first-leg win, thanks to goals from Christian Eriksen and Romelu Lukaku, will have to make do without the presence of supporting fans in the stadium.

"Earlier in the day, the Milan club sent a letter to Ludogorets, announcing that the city's health authorities allowed the match to be held without fans," a statement on Ludogorets' website read.

"The European headquarters informs Ludogorets that it will demand the decision of the Milan medical authorities. UEFA also announces that it is monitoring the situation in Northern Italy and will react immediately if changed.

It was confirmed by Inter in a statement on Monday that no spectators will be present for the encounter.

Inter's clash with Sampdoria was one of four Serie A fixtures to be postponed on Sunday, while there are doubts over whether their upcoming trip to Juventus will go ahead.

Atalanta vs Sassuolo, Torino vs Parma and Verona vs Cagliari were also canceled amid the concerns.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, 88 amateur football matches scheduled to take place in Lombardy last Saturday had been postponed, while Serie C and Serie D games were also impacted

Italy prime minister Giuseppe Conte has said all of the top-tier Italian games, including the blockbuster showdown in Turin, could be called off due to the virus, which originated in China.

There have been more than 200 reported cases in the country, and quarantine restrictions have been put in place in the Veneto and Lombardy regions with around 50,000 people stuck where they are assessed for signs of the virus for at least fourteen days.