The northern regions of Italy have been getting hammered by storms in recent weeks, with near-incessant rain causing flooding across much of the region. Several people have died because of the severe weather, and now it's casting doubt on whether or not tomorrow's European Championships qualifier between Italy and Croatia can be played.
Rain and flooding could cause Italy-Croatia postponement
Tomorrow’s Euro 2016 qualifier between Italy and Croatia could be postponed thanks to heavy rains and flooding in the area around the San Siro in Milan.
The match is scheduled to be played at the San Siro in Milan, but the city has been lashed by the storm for the last few days, and parts of the city have experienced flooding as a result. While no flooding has occurred around the stadium, the pitch itself has been left in poor shape by the heavy rainfall.
“If the turf remains in these conditions, then I don’t think the game can go ahead,” Croatia manager Niko Kovac told reporters in his pre-match press conference. “It would be like a game of water polo. The ball simply does not bounce.”
If conditions to not improve, officials from UEFA and the two nations will have a tough decision to make. Because of the set nature of the FIFA international calendar, rescheduling the match will be difficult to accomplish, but if the pitch is really is such poor shape, then it would be more dangerous to the players than it’d be worth just to try to get the match in.
The weather could potentially have an effect on Italy's next match as well, as they are currently set to play Albania in a friendly in Genoa on Tuesday. That city is all but locked down, as local officials have asked that people stay home thanks to heavy flooding in the area.
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