SPAIN’S LA LIGA AIMING FOR JUNE RESTART
Spanish soccer began the path back towards normality as organisers said clubs would resume training this week for the first time since activity was halted due to the Coronavirus pandemic and targeted resuming the season in June.
Organising body La Liga said clubs in the top two divisions would return to individual training following a protocol it had agreed with Spain’s sports and health authorities and which guaranteed the safety of players and staff.
The protocol obliges players to undergo testing for the novel Coronavirus before they can return to training facilities.
“These measures cover a period of approximately four weeks with different phases that, in any case, will be subject to the de-escalation process established by the government,” said the statement.
“Thus, together with the medical tests carried out by clubs, a staggered return to training has been implemented that will start with players training alone and with group activities prior to the return to competition, scheduled for June.”
La Liga President Javier Tebas said the season would bring back a sense of normality to Spain, which has lost over 25,000 lives to the virus and seen its economy paralysed.
“This crisis has had a profound impact on all of us. The return of football is a sign that society is progressing towards the new normal. It will also bring back an element of life that people in Spain and around the world know and love,” he said.