The Italian government have announced that all sporting events in the country will be played behind closed doors until April 3 in a bid to control the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The announcement means that every Serie A match for the next month will take place in empty stadiums, while England's Six Nations rugby match against Italy in Rome on March 14 also being played without supporters in attendance.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte made the announcement in a decree from the government on Wednesday.

The decree stated: "Sports events and competitions of all kinds and disciplines, held in every place, both public and private, are suspended.

"However, in municipalities other than those listed in Annex 1 of the prime minister's decree of March 1, 2020, and subsequent amendments, the holding of the aforementioned events and competitions, as well as training sessions for competitive athletes, is still allowed inside sports facilities used behind closed doors, or outdoors without the presence of the public.

"In all such cases, associations and sports clubs, by means of their medical staff, are required to carry out the appropriate checks to contain the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus among athletes, technicians, managers and all accompanying persons who participate.

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