Malagò revealed he was in contact with the Italian authorities and agreed that sport must be cancelled if it risked the safety of Italian citizens.

"I am in contact with the authorities who have the responsibility, right and duty to take initiatives and precautions," he said, as reported by Italian news agency ANSA.

"If there are government authorities and local representatives that give the orders for the safety of citizens, then sport must be changed immediately. 

"If there is an event where one of these cases occurs, sport must stop there."

The comments came before three Serie A matches were postponed, following the cancellation of all sporting events in the Lombardy and Veneto regions.

This includes Inter Milan's game against Sampdoria, Hellas Verona's clash against Cagliari and Atalanta's fixture against Sassuolo.

Italy now has more confirmed coronavirus cases - 79 - than any other European country, with two people confirmed dead. 

There are entire areas of Lombardy and Veneto in lockdown, with schools and offices shut. 

Coronavirus has caused havoc to the sporting calendar, leading to events being rescheduled, postponed or cancelled. 

Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee have insisted the upcoming Games will not be moved or cancelled because of the virus, given the official title of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. 

The coronavirus outbreak has reportedly infected more than 79,000 people worldwide, with 2,462 deaths caused.