Serie A chiefs are weighing up the extreme possibility of playing the remaining 12 league matches all in Rome.
According to La Repubblica, the Italian Football Federation are working on a radical solution which would see the current campaign completed in its entirety using an idea that has never been tried before.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought Italian football to its knees but the desire to continue playing is pushing the FIGC to create a new calendar model to conclude the current campaign.
Among the various proposals is a rather daunting hypothesis: if the season does not end, the next campaign would be at risk which would lead to a barrage of lawsuits from teams up and down the league.
To make sure the next season is played, one idea would be to stop play in the winter – taking inspiration from Argentina's 'Apertura' and 'Clausura' championships – and to return to the field with the new vintage in January 2021, taking a break for next summer's re-arranged Euros.
The obstacles, however, would be twofold considering that they would need to reach an agreement with both UEFA and FIFA while working around the Champions League and, above all, how the players would be unable to change teams.
Another idea, even in this extreme case, would involve moving all of the 20 league's teams, players and staff to Rome, in a sort of retreat-enclosure lasting about 45 days.
Training sessions and games would be played in the facilities available to the capital with safety measures that would provide for the absence of fans.
It would also allow for regular testing of players and staff, while reporters would also be excluded from attending.
The idea would reduce the extensive travelling while contact with those outside the club would be minimal.
In this case, the referees would also be a part of the retreat, which would take place in the south of the country, either in Rome or Tivoli.
Compared to Lombardy, one of Italy's worst-hit coronavirus areas, the south Italy remains relatively untouched and would be considered the safest place should plans go ahead.
It would also mean playing on without VAR, but to do so would require an agreement signed by all 20 clubs in Serie A.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com