Cagliari to face Roma behind closed doors
22 September 2012
Cagliari's home match against Roma on Sunday is set to be played behind closed doors.Local authorities have deemed the stadium as unsafe to host a crowd following renovation work lasting five months.
The Sardinian outfit have responded by releasing a statement indicating that they believe their new Is Arenas is ready for fans, and after selling tickets for their home game against Roma, the club will now have to reimburse spectators.
Cagliari director general Francesco Marroccu has disputed the decision and hoped to open up part of the stadium at least.
"We respect the authorities and they need to make the decisions, but we were training at the Is Arenas this week and saw there are the conditions to at least partially open up to the fans from Sunday. The few supporters who were there to cheer us on can attest to that," he said.
Marroccu also revealed that Cagliari are set to make a last-minute appeal against the decision, but it now looks very likely that they will not be able to host a crowd until a later date.
"We have not yet taken an official position on reimbursements, as we are waiting for a response from the authorities," he said.
"From what we can tell, there is work being done towards finally opening the gates for our game with Pescara on September 30," he added.
