Following a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, clubs in Spain will be able to train again, individiually, starting this week.
The coronavirus pandemic put the world and its sports at a standstill. Although football still was being played initially, the situation soon worsened, countries were locked down and sports leagues were suspended.
In Spain, football was initially only suspended temporarily, before the outbreak having a further effect, forcing the leagues to be suspended indefinitely.
Since then, the virus has been somewhat contained, and LaLiga’s president, Javier Tebas, has been optimistic about the league making a return this summer. After talks between the clubs, the league, the health ministry and the respective entities involved took place, training sessions will now return to the club schedules.
Monday afternoon, LaLiga announced, through an official statement that measures have been agreed with the sports and health authorities with the aim of guaranteeing ‘greater safety for the health of all those involved’.
Due to this, solo training sessions for players from LaLiga Santander, the Spanish top flight, and LaLiga SmartBank, the second-best league in Spain, will be allowed, subject to medical examination by the club services.
The measures taken will be part of a period of ‘approximately one month’ with phases that will ensure that health and safety are prioritized above all else. Due to this, it is possible that players and staff members alike will have to stay together once the players can train in small groups. For Barça, this could see many players be housed in La Masía, a place that once was home for the first team academy graduates.
As for the Catalan club, the coronavirus tests will take place on May 6, with the first training sessions taking place on May 8, according to ESPN.
Football returning to the stadiums could happen as early as July, according to LaLiga’s president, Javier Tebas.
“These circumstances have not had precedents, but we hope to start playing again in June and finish the 2019/20 season this summer,” he explained in LaLiga’s official statement.
The training sessions returning to schedules have seen several players making their way back to Barcelona, with Frenkie de Jong having landed earlier today, and Barça’s new man, Martin Braithwaite, per ESPN, already being en-route to Catalonia.
