Manchester United and Bayern Munich's European matches to be played behind closed doors following coronavirus outbreak

Fresh reports coming out of England and Germany claim that Manchester United v Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub (LASK)and Bayern Munich v Chelsea at Linz and Munich will be played behind closed doors, responding to the outbreak of coronavirus. Confirming the news, Manchester United released a statement saying:

ℹ️ Following guidance from the Austrian government, we have been informed by UEFA and LASK that our #UEL game on Thursday will be played behind closed doors.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 10, 2020

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The Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober has announced that all public events in the country with more than 500 people would be cancelled until mid-April. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich have also announced that their UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against Chelsea would also be played behind closed doors. The match which is to be played on 18th of March will have no spectators in the stands.

Our @ChampionsLeague game against @ChelseaFC will take place behind closed doors.All ticket holders will be given a full refund. pic.twitter.com/p9cEZMXHqo
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) March 10, 2020

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The Bavarians have also announced that the fans will receive a full refund following the decision. The German champs lead the Londoners 3-0 following the first leg. Recent events have led Football Associations all over Europe into postponing the games or taking preventive measures to safeguard the interests of fans and players.

The updated measures taken by Juventus regarding COVID-19➡️https://t.co/mLuNBO2aW7 pic.twitter.com/kt31Qo32wJ
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) March 9, 2020

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Earlier last week, Italy's top of the table clash between Juventus and Inter Milan too was played with zero supporters in the stadium. Subsequently, the whole country of Italy has gone into shutdown in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Also read | 'We play for the people' says Pep Guardiola who is not keen on playing football games behind closed doors

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by rehaan díaz