The mid-season World Cup interruption felt that little bit longer to many Italian football fans, left without a team to cheer for, so Serie A’s organisers opted for total immersion on its return. If you thought four games in an afternoon was a lot during Qatar’s group stage then how about 10, scheduled in pairs to kick off every two hours throughout a regular workday?
Typically, the Italian top flight would return from its winter break on the Christian feast day of Epiphany, 6 January, a national holiday, but that falls on a Friday this year. Playing then would mean giving up the weekend round – unacceptable given the condensed calendar. Returning with an evening round on Wednesday seemed an obvious choice. But broadcast rights pay the bills, so the games started at lunchtime instead.
