Serie A and domestic pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia, have hit out at comments by Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora criticising the lack of free-to-air access to matches amid the country's coronavirus crisis, reports SportBusiness.

The Italian government last week ordered all sporting events in the country to take place without spectators and behind closed doors until April 3.

Free-to-air access to matches has been a major issue since the coronavirus took hold in Italy.

However, both Sky and the Lega claim they are meeting their obligations. Sky said in a statement: "We are sorry to note that the declarations of the minister of sport do not correspond to the truth of the facts.

"In fact, Sky had for many days given full availability both to Juventus-Inter on its free-to-air channels (TV8 and Cielo) and to the matches of which Sky holds the paid rights. TV8 and Cielo are available on the digital terrestrial platform for all citizens and all fans and not only to subscribers. The current rules and laws cannot be overcome, which Lega Serie A has many times stated and clarified."

The Lega added: "The Lega Serie A Council, which met in the wake of the postponement of the start of the Tardini (Parma-Spal) game, deemed it necessary to comply with the government guidelines set out in the Prime Minister's decree, continuing with the games held behind closed doors.

"The same considerations expressed here apply with regard to television rights, where Lega, Sky and DAZN have complied with the existing provisions. The repeated and conflicting government declarations only contribute to increasing the general state of confusion and certainly do not help the system to overcome the moment of difficulty generated by the virus."