La Liga has high hopes of finishing season
SPAIN’S La Liga has welcomed UEFA’s decision to postpone Euro 2020, noting that putting back the European Championship to 2021 potentially opens a period of time for domestic leagues to play out their seasons during the European summer.
The La Liga statement said: “When normality returns and this serious health risk subsides we can face, in the best way possible, the options of how to end the season in the best way.
“We hope that La Liga will resume its Championship soon and that all competitions can begin (again), while protecting the health of all involved, and maintaining the integrity of each tournament.”
Speaking yesterday at a video link press conference the head of Spain’s other main body, the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales also echoed the desire to finish the season, but made no promises about a timetable.
He said: “We will prolong the season for as long as is necessary to finish the competition.
“It would a tremendous injustice not to finish the season. We are not going to declare it void we want to finish it.”
Rubiales appeared to bristle at perceived pressure from La Liga to finish the domestic competition before the end of June in order to honour television contracts.
He questioned the league not having insured against the possibility, adding: “We don’t know where we will be in a month. Hopefully we will be better off, but it is impossible to say.
“How can a company (La Liga) that is dedicated to selling television rights of the club not have insured against [this possibility?}
“That’s why La Liga is trying to finish the season by June 30, but if it is not possible, we will have no alternative to take measures and look for other dates in the calendar.”
Rubiales also tool a swipe at La Liga clubs for using coronavirus tests on healthy players when there could be other people in the country who need them.
Various teams have tested players for the virus, including Valencia, who said on Monday that 35% of their first-team squad and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus but were asymptomatic.
“Knowing the lives of many people are at stake it seems out of place to me to use tests on footballers when there are people that need them,” Rubiales told a news conference.
“The result for the player is the same, if they are positive and don’t have severe symptoms they will be confined at home. Testing players seems unsupportive and absolutely anti-patriotic in these conditions.” – dpa/Reuters