A CLOSED-DOOR PITCH INVASION
A closed-door match was not enough to dissuade a supporter from invading the pitch as Lionel Messi (behind right) looks on during the Spanish La Liga match between Barcelona and Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
NEW DELHI: This past weekend, Spain’s La Liga followed Germany’s Bundesliga to become the second ‘Big 5’ football league in Europe to resume amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives across the continent.
The Bundesliga season resumed in mid-May and is only three rounds of games from completion. Serie A in Italy and England’s Premier League are set to resume this week. Italy tested the waters on Friday and Saturday, holding second leg matches of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
The games so far have provided a peek into football’s new normal in a Covid-19 world. We take a look at the five things we have learnt from football’s resumption in Europe:
NO ‘ATMOSPHERE’
The Revierderby that kicked off Bundesliga last month saw Borussia Dortmund and Schalke play at Westfalenstadion, known for its lively atmosphere during matches in normal times. Playing without fans in the stands, Dortmund won 4-0. When Everton host Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, the local rivals will be greeted by an empty Goodison Park. No crowd at the stadium means every shout of the players and support staff will be audible on TV.
Premier League, like La Liga, has tried to plug the gap for TV viewers by borrowing crowd noise from a popular video game, but to what extent fans take to the artificial boost has to be seen. What is certain though is that it will take some more time before it is deemed safe for fans to attend games. New Zealand has thrown open the stands to fans after recording zero active cases and Europe may have to wait till the numbers dip. Till then, one can expect more innovations from broadcasters to engage viewers.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Teams are making the most of the temporary rule change allowing five substitutes in a game. In the La Liga, all seven games held since resumption till Saturday saw at least one team use all the substitutions. The rule is seen as crucial by many because of the increased injury risk to players who have returned after a long break and due to the remaining games being scheduled more tightly than ideal.
An analysis by fivethirtyeight.com shows the Bundesliga averages 4.29 substitutions by a team per match since resumption, up from the previous league average of 2.92, due to the relaxed norm.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
It is inevitable that in football players will come into contact with each other during play. Still, many leagues have advised players to minimise physical contact, including with teammates during goal celebrations. As Barcelona players on Saturday, and a few others in the Bundesliga have shown, the advise is not strictly followed.
CALENDAR WOES
Many seem to have forgotten, but hypothetically, in a world without coronavirus all eyes of the football world now would be fixed on the 2020 European Championship and Copa America. Both tournaments have been pushed back by a year. The damage to the current calendar is far bigger with no clarity on how and when to begin the next season, once the current league is completed. La Liga says it plans to begin the next season on September 12, though if the Champions League and Europa League take place as planned in August and Spanish teams reach the final rounds after this congested end to the season, will the start date remain viable?
TRAINING REGIMES
How teams train and prepare for games is also undergoing a major change. Not only are players screened and advised to maintain distance, there are protocols in place to try and minimise contact.