La Liga to Resume with Real Betis, Sevilla Derby on June 11
A behind closed doors derby between Real Betis and Sevilla could restart the La Liga season on 11 June.
La Liga President, Javier Tebas, told Spanish TV he hoped the match can be “a tribute to all the people who have died”.
However, Tebas also warned footballers to “be careful with their actions” after four Sevilla players apologised for breaking rules on social gathering.
Ever Banega, Lucas Ocampos,
Franco Vazquez and Luuk de Jong were pictured at a party at the weekend.
Spain has eased its strict lockdown rules, but gatherings of more than 10 people are still not allowed.
“Players are an example to society and should be careful with their actions,” Tebas said. “I call on all footballers to not act like this. We have to be very careful because a lot of people’s jobs are at stake.”
On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gave permission for the country’s top two divisions to resume from 8 June. La Liga players started training in groups of no more than 10 last week.
Football in Spain was suspended on 12 March because of the coronavirus pandemic and Tebas said the next objective was to progress to full training.
“Right now that’s our main goal, and if we can achieve that then we can start to bring forward the return of the competition. Our aim is to be able to announce the first four rounds of fixtures next week,” he added.
“The government’s announcement took us by surprise but it shows that professional football is very important to this country.”
Champions Barcelona lead La Liga by two points over nearest challengers Real Madrid with 11 matches remaining.