February 27 – Spare a thought for Italian coach Giuseppe Sannino who has done nothing wrong on the pitch but has been temporarily stood down by his team, Honved of Hungary, because of his nationality given the effect of the coronavirus in his homeland.
Sannino has been removed as a precaution after Italy reported more than 400 cases, centred on the industrial heartlands of Lombardy and Veneto, while Italians or foreigners who recently visited the country have tested positive in Greece, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and France.
“The replacement of Giuseppe Sannino and his (assistant) coach Alessandro Recenti is necessary because they could have come in contact with people living in areas affected by the coronavirus,” Honved said in a statement.
“Honved is committed to addressing the health crisis and limiting the spread of the epidemic. As a precaution, the management decided to appoint a temporary replacement, defending their fans, players and colleagues at the club.”
Sannino, 62, was only appointed last May and has coached more than a dozen clubs in Italy as well as England and Greece.
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