Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte admits “right now I can’t say when the lockdown will end”, throwing the Serie A season into more doubt.

Lockdown in Italy was recently extended to April 13, but Conte – while acknowledging the country was on ‘the right track’ to beating coronavirus – is no longer prepared to put a date on when the measures will be lifted.

“The most important message to give to our citizens has been to stay at home as much as possible,” said the PM.

“If there is a need to go out, for work or to do the shopping, people must respect the rules.

“We are asking our people to make great sacrifices. I am aware of that, but this is the only way.

“The more we respect the rules, the sooner we will get out of this emergency. All the nations in the world are struggling and we are all in the trenches.

“This is why it is crucial that there is cooperation between our democracies. It is also key that there is international collaboration.

“Right now I can’t say when the lockdown will end. We are following the directions of the scientific committee, but Italy was the first nation to face the emergency.

“Our response was perhaps not perfect, but we have done our best based on the knowledge we have.

“The validity of the measures we have taken has been recognised by the WHO, and the results indicate we are on the right track.”

The FIGC had hoped to restart the season at the end of May, while UEFA has suggested playing games in July and August.