Turkish soccer to welcome back players — but not fans
Turkey's professional soccer teams will begin playing in empty stadiums in June, the Turkish Football Federation president said Wednesday.
Professional soccer in Turkey will resume this summer but without the fans, the country’s soccer body announced Wednesday.
On March 19, sporting events including soccer, volleyball and basketball were put on hold as part of Turkey’s measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Turkish Football Federation President Nihat Ozdemir said the season will pick back up after the federation and Turkey’s Health Ministry decide how the games can best be played safely.
“Hopefully, we will have completed our leagues by the end of July in the best way possible,” Ozdemir told Hurriyet Daily News. “Our only goal is to complete the leagues.”
He added that sometime in August he hopes Turkey can host the 2020 Union of European Football Associations Champions League final, which was originally scheduled for May 30 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
