Common misfortune of Tokyo and Lazio. Due to the coronavirus, which has turned into a global epidemic, all sports activities have shuttered. FIFA described the situation as “the biggest crisis in sports after the Second World War”. With the prolonged epidemic period, especially football clubs entered into an economic bottleneck in paying the salaries of the players. The number of clubs that will go bankrupt in Bundesliga has already reached two digits. Because of the epidemic, there is a most unfortunate city and a club. One is Japan’s capital Tokyo, the other is Italian football club Lazio.
Between 1914-18, when the world caught on a total deadly war, it was naturally affected by the war in sport. But it is not total. In the years of the war, leagues continued in some countries. In the United Kingdom (England), one of the main actors of the war, while cricket and rugby leagues were vacationing without delay, football continued from where it left off.
In the 1914-15 season, both the league and the FA Cup were played. However, due to the increasing reactions, the England Football Federation stepped back and vacationed the leagues. Considering the conditions of a hundred years ago, many sports branches were neither widespread nor popular like today.
The effect of World War II, which broke out in 1939, was more profound. 85 million people lost their lives. Its effects and results have been greater. In the war years when life came to a standstill and death suddenly, shutters were lowered in many branches, especially football. Just like today’s corona epidemic. England ended all sports activities in September 1939 with the start of the war. The Nazis’ air bombings would have made it impossible to continue sports for the country.
During the war in England, football did not drop a shutter. The Ministry of Interior took a decision and decided that some football matches can be played with the number of viewers that will not exceed 8 thousand people. The conditions included playing matches in areas close to the evacuation points. In this way, the way to play some regional tournaments and friendly matches was opened.
After the war, the FA Cup continued to be played from the 1945-46 season and the England First League from the 1946-47 season. During the war, many athletes left their careers and ran to the front. Especially in England and Germany, many footballers fought with weapons in the front. By 1940 in the UK, 629 players went to the front, 80 people lost their lives.
The first major event hit by the war was the 1916 Olympic Games. The Olympics, which will be hosted by Berlin in Germany, could not be held due to the war. The desire of the Germans to host the Olympics came after 20 years. The 1936 Berlin Olympics passed in the form of Hitler’s torso. It is also the dirtiest organization. Japan would host the 1940 Olympics. Just like this year. However, the Olympics could not be held because of the war. He shared the same fate with Tokyo in London, which will also host the games in 1944.
While the Japanese were counting down to host the 2020 Olympic Games with Tokyo, this time coronavirus appeared before them. While the Euro 2020 was retired a year later, the Japanese kept the hope that the Olympics would be held. However, as the epidemic’s bill gradually worsened, countries made statements one after another to delay the Olympics. The Olympic Committee has postponed the hosting of Tokyo to a year later. This time, it was not the war, but the epidemic barrier. But the pleasing development is that they will be hosting a year later. Tokyo gained the Olympic host, which was canceled by the war in 1940, in 1964, 24 years later.
Another unfortunate club like Tokyo is the Lazio club. Italy holidayed in both world wars before the season started. But the start of a football season and a halt only occurred once before the coronavirus. Italian Serie A was on holiday after the 26th week this season. The fate of the season remains unclear. Because Italy is now the center of the epidemic. As this year, the actor affected by this decision was again Lazio.
With 26 weeks behind in Serie A this season, Lazio, who ranked second behind Juventus, had to watch Genoa be given 105 years ago, perhaps his own championship title. In Serie A, the 1914-15 season was interrupted due to the First World War. At that time, the league was played in two separate tournaments in the northern and southern regions.
The winners of these tournaments were facing for the championship. Before the league was interrupted, the leader of the Lazio southern tournament had finished. In the northern tournament, there was a match and Genoa; Turin was the leader in front of Inter and Milan. While it was not determined which team finished the championship this season for four years, it was announced that the team declared champion was Genoa. There was no official reason why Genoa, not Lazio, was declared champion. Lazio was one of the biggest losers of the war.
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