Spain’s La Liga prepares to resume football season

Spain’s La Liga football clubs are returning to training this week, ahead of the anticipated June resumption of competitive matches.

LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs, representing the top two divisions of professional football in Spain, will resume training after receiving approval from the ministry of health, although only individual training is currently allowed.

This will develop over the next four weeks in-line with the government’s de-escalation plan, with team training expected to resume in the second or third week of May with a view to resuming competitive matches in June without spectators.

“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,” said Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga.

“People’s health is paramount, so we have a comprehensive protocol to safeguard the health of everyone involved as we work to restart LaLiga. Circumstances are unprecedented, but we hope to start playing again in June and finish our 19/20 season this summer.”

Professional football is estimated to account for 1.37 per cent of Spain’s gross domestic product and provides 185,000 direct and indirect jobs.