May 4 – Inter Milan ended Juventus’ domination of Italian football by winning the Serie A and Ajax claimed a 35th Dutch title at the weekend.
The Milan-based club dethroned Juventus as serial Serie A champions, clinching their first league title in 11 year after Sassuolo drew 1-1 with second-placed Atalanta to assure Antonio Conte’s side of an unassailable lead at the top of the table.
After the final whistle, fans invaded the Duomo Square and the club asked supporters to respect social distancing rules imposed by the government for limiting the spread of Covid-19, posting on Twitter: “Now is the time for the party: for all the Inter fans. A genuine joy that we invite to express in the most responsible way possible.”
However, the plea was to little avail with thousands swarming Milan’s historic city centre. In the Netherlands, Ajax fans also ignored public health restrictions to celebrate their club’s 35th domestic league title outside the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
“Do not come to the Johan Cruijff Boulevard near the Arena. It is too busy there at the moment,” said the city’s authorities in a tweet. “Continue to enjoy the game at home. Keep 1.5 meters away when leaving.”
The city’s mayor Femke Halsema said: “We had taken into account many scenarios, but we really did not expect supporters to celebrate the championship. Especially because it was still totally uncertain until this afternoon when Ajax would become champions.”
Both Italy and the Netherlands are still experiencing a high number of Covid-19 cases. The rolling average of cases for the last seven days in the Netherlands exceeds 7,000. In Italy, that number tops 11,000.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1730810784labto1730810784ofdlr1730810784owedi1730810784sni@o1730810784fni1730810784