Soccer-Slovakia-Ireland Euro playoff to go ahead without fans

Slovakia will host Ireland in their Euro 2020 qualifying playoff semi-final on March 26 without any spectators present as the country seeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Slovak Football Association (SFZ) said on Tuesday. Slovakia's government took the step on Monday of banning sports, cultural and other events for two weeks as part of measures to limit coronavirus spread in the central European country. It has reported seven confirmed cases as of Tuesday.

The SFZ said it had consulted state authorities and soccer ruling body UEFA before deciding to run the schedule match at an empty stadium.