COVID-19: Spanish football clubs to return to training this week

Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo with teammates. (Photo: Twitter/@fcbarcelona_br)


LaLiga clubs are returning to training this week following the Spanish Ministry of Healths approval for the return of sports training sessions.

Professional players from LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank — the first and second divisions of professional football in Spain — will start training alone following medical tests carried out by club staff.

Basic training was allowed to resume in Spain on Monday after the government watered down some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed since mid-March.

This return to training has been planned by LaLiga with measures that have been agreed with the relevant sports and health authorities in order to guarantee as much safety as possible for the health of all those involved.

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.

“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.”

The football matches in the country have been stopped since March 12 in wake of the pandemic that has hit the entire world.