In this March 08, 2020 photo, Juventus' Brazilian forward Douglas Costa (left) vies with Inter Milan's Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella (center) and Inter Milan's English midfielder Ashley Young in an empty stadium due to the novel coronavirus outbreak during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Inter Milan, at the Juventus stadium in Turin. (VINCENZO PINTO / AFP)

MILAN - Italy’s top flight soccer league Serie A said on Tuesday that broadcast rights holders must pay the final installment for the current season, which has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Serie A was suspended on March 9 and the Italian government will decide on Thursday whether it will give its permission for the championship to restart, playing matches without spectators

Serie A was suspended on March 9 and the Italian government will decide on Thursday whether it will give its permission for the championship to restart, playing matches without spectators. Italy’s top pay-TV operator SKY, sports streaming service DAZN and global sports agency IMG have not paid the final instalment for the 2019/2020 season, totalling around 220 million euros (US$242 million), sources previously said.

“Lega Serie A’s executive committee confirms ... that contractual conditions need to be respected,” the league said in a statement.

Serie A previously called on the rights holders to “respect the payment deadlines set out in the contracts in order to maintain a constructive relationship” at a meeting two weeks ago.

ALSO READ: Sports minister says Serie A restart depends on contagion curve

Sky’s chief executive Maximo Ibarra told the Ansa news agency earlier this month that it wanted to negotiate a solution with Serie A but none of its suggestions had received a response.

Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has also suggested that matches could be broadcast free-to-air.The instalment is part of a 1.3 billion euro annual feewhich rights holders pour into Serie A’s club coffers to screenmatches under a three-year agreement expiring next season.

Serie A has put off until Friday a decision on which matches should restart the league along with a discussion of a ‘Plan B’ in case the coronavirus situation made it impossible to play through the 12 remaining matchdays.

“The league analysed the various calendar hypotheses that would allow all the remaining Serie A and Coppa Italia matches to be played and decided... to look at this issue on Friday morning,” it said