Sassuolo are 2-0 up against Brescia when the news begins to filter through.



It’s around 8pm on Monday, March 9, and the debate between the league and the players’ union is drawing to a close. A decision has been taken. Serie A is about to suspend the championship until further notice.



Jeremie Boga doesn’t know that yet.



Hemmed in on the left-hand touchline, he is untangling himself from the spidery legs of Brescia’s Finland striker Simon Skrabb. Just inside the opposition’s half, he manages to wriggle free and get into his stride and suddenly, there’s no stopping him. “Maybe (over) the first 10m, I’m the fastest (on the team),” Boga tells The Athletic. “But long distance, Gregoire (Defrel) and the other Jeremy (Toljan) probably are.”



As the Ivory Coast international approaches the penalty area, Andrea Papetti, Brescia’s centre-back, must know what’s coming. His coach Diego...