Eighty janitors on sick leave, schools closed: Napoli stops for the Scudetto

It's not a seasonal flu or an organized protest, but what happened today in Naples schools seems like a side effect of Scudetto fever. A few hours before the decisive match between Napoli and Cagliari, with the tricolor title at stake, eighty school collaborators presented medical certificates for illness, forcing at least seven schools to close early and urgently call the parents of the students.

The phenomenon, already reported yesterday, Thursday 22 May, has particularly affected nursery schools, including Mondo Gioioso, Rocco Jemma and Pasquale Scura. This morning the situation was repeated in several high schools and higher institutes, from Chiaia to Vomero, up to Scampia and Fuorigrotta. The temporal coincidence with the most anticipated match of the year did not go unnoticed, so much so that the Carabinieri have started investigations to verify any anomalies or unjustified absences.

Also thanks to the transport strike and the municipal ordinances for the closure of the streets, the entire city seems to have gone into “pre-party” mode. The atmosphere is full of expectation: if Napoli were to win, or even just draw with a simultaneous slip-up by Inter, the fourth Scudetto would become a reality. And then, perhaps, even some suspicious absences will be forgotten in the din of euphoria.