Atalanta playmaker Papu Gomez said that playing the Champions League match between his side and Valencia at San Siro worsened the COVID-19 situation in Bergamo.

Northern Italy is one of the hardest hit regions of the virus. More than 40,000 supporters attended the match.

Atalanta chose to play the match at San Siro due to construction at their home stadium.

“At the start there was a lot of misinformation, we all took it lightly. We thought it was just another strain of flu and so we continued to lead a normal life. When the deaths started, we started to feel afraid. Someone [at San Siro] was infected. We’re all waiting to see if any of us show symptoms.

"Playing those games was terrible. There were no checks in Valencia, everything was relaxed. I think the situation in Bergamo today has something to do with the Champions League game at San Siro. There are 12,000 inhabitants here and 45,000 were at the stadium that day," said Gomez.

Gomez added that it's difficult to focus on football.

“We’ve made a whole city happy in the last four years, but what we’ve been experiencing lately is something terrible, which I still can’t understand.

“We’re the country with the most infections after China, it’s strange. The people of Bergamo should be happy right now, proud of what its team are doing, but instead we have to focus on something else and think about the families that are suffering.

“I’m with them, they’re strong people who aren’t giving up and this period will come to pass.”