Serie A clubs have voted to resume the season on June 13, pending approval from the Italian government.
Sixteen Serie A clubs voted in favour of that date during a league assembly on Wednesday, while the remaining four voted to resume the season the following weekend, on June 20.
It comes after confirmation by Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora that a medical protocol has been agreed by the government and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to allow Serie A teams to resume group training from May 18.
However, the protocol means that if one player or staff member tests positive for coronavirus after May 18, the entire squad will have to go into quarantine for 15 days - unlike the Bundesliga model.
Regarding the resumption of sporting activity, in accordance with the decisions of the Government and in compliance with the medical protocols to protect players and all involved personnel, the date of June 13 has been indicated for the resumption of the league," a Serie A statement said on Wednesday.
Fiorentina reported six new cases of coronavirus last week
It is understood a restart on June 13 would give Italian clubs enough time to finish off both the Serie A season and the Coppa Italia, which was halted after the first leg of both semi-finals, before UEFA's cut-off point of August 2.
There are 12 rounds remaining in Serie A along with four matches that were postponed from the 25th round, with Juventus topping the table one point ahead of Lazio.
Analysis: Italian football united in wills
Serie A clubs have always been crystal clear in their willingness to complete the season and Wednesday's vote is another statement proving all parties are united and going down the same path.
However, the issue has been deeply political - and lots of the discourse was centred around adapting a medical protocol to satisfy the government's scientific committee, so that all players and club staff can get back to focusing on football without worrying about the virus.
The idea behind the approved protocol is to make each club a 'safe group' through rigorous and regular testing, starting from two weeks before the season would resume, to minimise the chances of exposure.
While this can be a shrewd approach, there are questions raised about how the league as a whole would cope once any player would be tested positive for COVID-19 - given that the whole team would need to be quarantined, instead of the individual player as would happen in the Bundesliga.
Another sticking point is responsibility, as club medics do not want to be considered the only liable party if a player tests positive. In short, any resumption of Serie A is in any case linked to security: further reassurances will have to arrive directly from the federation.
Now the ball is totally in the government's court, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte revealing last week he will pick up the football dossier himself and make a decision based on Italy's virus curve. Next week, the government will shed more light on the thought process, but Italian football is braced and ready to give it a go.
The UK Government says no professional athlete should be forced to return to training, stressing that choice should be "a personal one".
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) issued a document on Wednesday featuring guidance designed to allow each sport to make a risk assessment on when it is safe for training to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The document is not legally binding and does not replace any Government or Public Health England advice, but is rather a set of recommended minimum practice guidance on a return to training.
Proposed measures include a deep cleaning of facilities and a regular screening of athletes and staff for COVID-19 symptoms before and after they enter, expected to be carried out by an appropriately trained healthcare professional.
All athletes and support staff will be expected to engage in a one-to-one check-in prior to any resumption of organised training, to ensure they have understood the sport-specific risks and mitigations, training site protocols in place, and are physically and mentally well enough to proceed.
"I know our sports stars are keen to get back to training and this guidance will enable them to do so in a safe way," said Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for DCMS. "Our top priority is protecting the health of athletes, coaches and support staff.
Oliver Dowden is Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
"Enabling athletes to get match-fit is an important milestone towards restarting competitive sport behind closed doors - but we have not given a green light yet. We are clear that this can only happen on the advice of medical experts and when it is safe to do so."
The guidelines have been put together following consultation involving athletes, coaches, chief medical officers, chief executives, performance and operations directors across a range of Olympic, Paralympic and other professional sports.
Govt's two-step approach to training return
The DCMS document contains a two-step approach to a return to training that outlines how sports teams can phase out the process in full compliance with the Government's health guidelines.
Elite sports should ensure they seek independent advice from medical practitioners prior to any return to training - something which the Premier League has already done.
Step 1, which can be applied immediately, is a return to a level of organised individual training or groups of individual athletes training in the same facility while adhering to social distancing guidelines from the government.
Premier League clubs might be able to return to group training on May 18
It can be applied immediately and has no timeframe, as some sports will return to training sooner than others.
Step 2 involves a level of 'social clustering' within the training environment, where small groups of athletes and staff can interact in much closer contact - such as close quarter coaching, teams sports tackling and equipment sharing.
"The additional guidance necessary for operating under step two will be finalised and communicated once when the government has agreed to move to this step, following advice from PHE and medical experts that it is safe to do so," the document said.
"Should a known or suspected COVID-19 case occur in the training environment or an individual be identified as a contact of a known case the individual/s in question should be placed in isolation and follow the PHE guidelines.
"The designated medical officer should be immediately informed if not involved with identifying and isolating the case at the training venue."
A teenage boy has handed himself in to police after Ian Wright shared racist messages he received online.
The former Arsenal and England striker, 56, posted the Instagram messages to his 1.7 million Twitter followers yesterday.
He wrote: "I know I'm not meant to look at them but these messages still hit me so hard man. This is a child!!! This kid has a direct line into me & is able to send this without any worry."
The messages included a number of racist terms and one that read: "If I get corona I will cough in your face."
The force said no official complaint had been made, but they are still looking into the matter. Instagram also confirmed it is investigating the account in question.
Wright received an outpouring of support from fans and fellow stars after revealing the messages, with his original post getting 20,000 retweets.
He thanked them in another post, which read: "Thanks everyone for your kind and supportive messages. I'm normally better at ignoring it, but that one got to me. There has to be consequences. Each one teach one!! Peace and love."
Show Racism the Red Card chief executive Ged Grebby condemned the abuse.
He said: "Ian Wright has put his head above the parapet again and I saw him on Match of the Day with Gary Lineker a few weeks ago talking about the racist abuse he suffered as a player.
"It shows racism is society's problem and unfortunately it has been on the rise. People have been staying at home but it doesn't stop them abusing people on social media and this is a shocking example of that.
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