MILAN • The first Italian Serie A game in 103 days got off to a rather muted start on Saturday, with a deflated ball having to be replaced after five seconds.
When things finally got going, Torino and Parma shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Juraj Kucka equalised for the visitors after Nicolas Nkoulou nodded the opener at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
Andrea Belotti could have eased his side's relegation worries, but he missed a penalty at the start of the second half.
While Torino ended a six-game losing run with their first point since Jan 12, they remain just three points above the relegation zone. Parma are ninth in the table.
Before kick-off, players and referees formed a circle to observe a minute's silence for local victims of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since its outset in March, the disease has killed over 34,600 people in Italy, with over 238,000 cases up to yesterday.
The Torino players also had a message on their shirts for healthcare workers, which read: "Thanks to all our heroes."
In the other Serie A game, 10-man Verona held on to beat Cagliari 2-1. Samuel di Carmine's double proved to be enough despite Fabio Borini's sending-off, with Giovanni Simeone getting a consolation goal.
Both fixtures were not broadcast on the beIN Sports network owing to a dispute with the league.
The Qatari broadcaster normally airs Serie A games in 35 countries, but on Saturday, anyone tuning in to watch the return of top-tier Italian football would have been disappointed.
"No Serie A matches are being broadcast on beIN Sports' entire global network," a beIN spokesman said. "It would not be appropriate to comment further, other than to say our legal and public position has been consistent and well-documented for three years."
In France, viewers were treated instead to a match between Turkey's Denizlispor and Besiktas, while a trawl through beIN's website for all of Saturday's results suggested no games were played in Italy - just England, Spain and Germany.
Qatar-based beIN paid US$500 million (S$698.6 million) to broadcast Serie A matches from 2018 to 2021, an agreement that has been beset by snags.
Its particular grievance with the competition reached a tipping point in December when the league decided to stage the Italian Super Cup final between Juventus and Lazio in Saudi Arabia despite the broadcaster urging it not to.
Serie A then argued it had signed a US$22.5 million contract that was difficult to get out of.
However, beIN is said to be reconsidering its financial agreements with the league - it accounts for some 55 per cent of Serie A revenue from overseas rights.
Not only is there an ongoing economic blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies on Qatar, but there is also a longstanding dispute between the network and pirate channel beoutQ.
The Qataris have accused Riyadh of simulcasting its programming - the broadcast source is said to originate from the kingdom's capital - and last week, the World Trade Organisation also ruled the Saudi government was behind its operation.
Serie A could not immediately comment on beIN's blackout.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG
