Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has called for his side’s Champions League return match at Barcelona to be moved to Portugal or Germany.
Earlier on Thursday, it emerged that UEFA had approached the Health Department of the Generalitat in Catalonia to seek further assurances of the health of all participants ahead of the tie after a spike in Covid-19 infections in the North-Eastern area of Spain.
The second leg of the Round of 16 clash between the two sides is scheduled to be played at the Camp Nou on 8 August, with the stadiums of both Guimaraes and Porto among those which are claimed to be possible venue alternatives.
The Champions League matches will be held at neutral venues in Germany from the quarter-final stage onwards this year.
“The match against Barcelona will always be a great match. This summer we played two, then we had a third in the first leg of the last 16 in the Champions League. Now, we will play a fourth” De Laurentiis told Sky Sport Italia, in quotes carried by Football Italia.
“We hear doubts and fears coming from Spain. UEFA is indifferent, there is no one who knows how to run the shop.
“If they have decided that the Champions League is done in Portugal and the Europa League in Germany, I think we should play the return leg in Portugal or Germany.
“I don’t understand why we must stay in a city that has major problems.”
The first leg of the clash between the two ended 1-1 all the way back in February in Naples, with the winners taking on either Bayern Munich or Chelsea in the last eight.
