Spanish football could return by mid-June
Baku, April 30, AZERTAC
La Liga clubs - the top flight in Spain's domestic football arena - will begin testing players for the novel coronavirus next week as the first step towards restarting the season in June, a source familiar with the league's plans said on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera.
Athletes in Spain have been forced to train at home since early March due to one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced they are free to begin individual training at facilities from next Monday.
Players and staff must undergo a RT-PCR test for the virus and a serology test before returning to training as part of phase one of La Liga's protocol for a return to activity.
Phase two is individual training and could begin as soon as May 6, while phase three is training in small groups of up to eight players. Phase four refers to full group training which needs to last at least two weeks before action returns.
The source said the four phases can be completed within a month, meaning top-flight matches in Spain could resume by the middle of June.
There are 11 weeks remaining of the campaign in La Liga and Spain's second division. The Copa del Rey final and second division playoff matches would also need to be scheduled.
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