Olympiacos to host Wolves inside empty Karaiskakis Stadium
Olympiacos will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the UEFA Europa League inside an empty Karaiskakis Stadium as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the club have confirmed.
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On Monday evening, Olympiacos released this following statement:
“In accordance with strictly following the decisions of the national authorities, UEFA has decided to play the Last 16 tie of the UEFA Europa League between Olympiacos and Wolves, scheduled for 12/03/2020 at the Karaiskakis Stadium, behind closed doors. As a result, Olympiacos and Wolves fans and UEFA sponsors with tickets will not be allowed to attend.”
The news follows the announcement by the Ministry of Health that all sporting events in Greece are to be held behind closed doors for two weeks as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 tie in Piraeus between Olympiacos and Wolves is scheduled to begin at 22:00 local time on Thursday.
According to reports from Sportime, Olympiacos could lose up to eight million euros in ticket sales and sponsorships as a result of the stadium closure, however there is no way in which the Erythrolefki can overrule the decision made by the state not to allow members of the general public to attend games in the country.
At the same time, there is a possibility that the second leg in the United Kingdom could also be played inside an empty arena, with coronavirus cases continuing to rise in England and specifically Wolverhampton. The second game against Wolves will be played next Thursday.
