Portuguese football goes behind closed doors

LISBON: Portugal’s Primeira Liga will go behind closed doors with immediate effect with no date given for reopening stadiums to fans, the Portuguese football federation said Tuesday.

Top-flight as well as second division matches will be subject to the decision to exclude fans indefinitely taken at an emergency meeting of football authorities, the federation said. The decision followed a government measure recommending the cancellation or postponement of events involving more than 1,000 people in an enclosed space or 5,000 in open areas. Lisbon’s half marathon, set for March 22 with 30,000 runners, has been put off until September 6.