Laliga president, Javier Tebas, appeared on the El Partidazo #VolverEsGanar special on Movistar (LaLiga’s broadcaster in Spain) on Monday to discuss the Laliga clubs’ return to training, saying that “we have to adapt to the circumstances, very difficult circumstances not only for football, but also for the whole country and businesses. We’ve worked on health protocols, from the return to training right up to when the matches restart.”
Please see below, the excerpts.
On Laliga 2019/20 Restart date
Javier Tebas: “I’d like it to be June 12th but we have to be careful, it will depend on many factors such as potential a rise in infections, factors which don’t depend on football but on Spanish society. We have to be very careful and focused on following the health measures. The virus is still there. With less infections, but it’s still there.”
On Zero Risk during games
“The risk during games will be zero, or practically zero, because the players will be tested – with only a 5% possible failure rate – 24 hours before. During the game… there’s a university study from the Danish and German Health Ministries which has calculated how long a player is less than a metre away from another during a football match. Out of 22 players on the pitch, the most time one would spend within a metre of another is 67 seconds, and not face to face. For the virus to be transmitted, they’d have to be at that proximity for more than 15 minutes, and that won’t happen.”
On LaLiga SmartBank
“The two leagues will restart at the same time. LaLiga SmartBank will play the promotion play-offs under the same conditions as always. We’ll need to finish our national competitions before July 31st if possible, and then European competitions in August. As LaLiga SmartBank teams are not competing in European competition, we can take advantage and play into the first week in August, depending on when we start next season.”
Also Read: Laliga Santander, Laliga SmartBank Clubs Return To Training Ahead 2019/20 Season Resumption
On new features of match broadcasts
“We’re working together with national and international broadcasters on how to watch football avoiding the empty stands, the echo… we hope to have some solid plans this week. We’re carrying out virtual tests and on acoustics too. I don’t want to pre-empt anything, given that we won’t be able to have fans in the stadiums, but the alternatives will be very interesting and groundbreaking when it comes to football broadcasts. Things will change, we’ll be able to move cameras to generate new angles, for example. Not having fans in the stadium is a tragedy, but we’re going to make the most of situation to ensure that those watching at home can enjoy the football as much as possible.”
On medical test results
“We expected between 25-30 positive cases, basing ourselves on statistics. The Bundesliga returned 10 positives out of around 1,700 tests. We calculated our estimate using that number and also the overall coronavirus rate in Spain, which is somewhat higher than in Germany. It’s good news for the football industry, and also for Spanish society in general. We have clubs all over Spain, and the de-escalation hasn’t been the same in every area, but in many parts of the country the number of cases is now very low.”
On LaLiga everyday
“Once LaLiga restarts, there’ll be football every day. That’s the idea, football every day so that we can finish the competition.
On what happened in Germany must not happen
“We’ve never contemplated the idea of not finishing the season. What happened in Germany cannot happen and, what’s more, it won’t happen. It’s impossible for a club to have five positive cases at the same time. If it does happen it’s down to negligence or not adhering to the health protocol.”
