La Liga gets green light to return June 8 from Spanish prime minister
Spain’s La Liga has the green light to return to action.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the league can begin play on June 8.
“The time has come to resume many daily activities,” Sanchez said on Saturday, via ESPN. “From June 8, La Liga will return. Spanish football has a huge following.”
The Spanish government has given the green light for the return of professional sport - including #LaLigaSantander and #LaLigaSmartBank - as of June 8th, following guidelines from the Ministry of Health.#BackToWin pic.twitter.com/OjjV61pnBf
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) May 23, 2020
The league has previously targeted a return date of June 12, a full three months after suspending play due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Sevilla derby between Sevilla and Real Betis will reportedly kick off the resumed season. La Liga officials will announced the specific date to return in the coming days, ESPN reported.
La Liga president Javier Tebas voiced his excitement on Twitter while staying cautious.
“We are very happy for the decision, it is the result of the great work of clubs, players, technicians, CSD (National Sports Council) and agents involved.
“But we cannot lower our guard, it is important to follow health regulations and ensure the pandemic doesn't come back.”
The league produced a 23-page document detailing how it would return to play. It consisted of minimum contact with the outside world and daily testing for the virus as it slowly ramped up to matches.
Clubs returned to practices in May with training groups of no more than 10 people at a time. It is the latest European soccer league to announce a plan for returning to action, joining Germany’s Bundesliga, England’s Premier League and Italy’s Serie A.
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