Spain’s La Liga eyes June 12 return despite five coronavirus positive tests

League president Javier Tebas thinks games will resume in one month, says league expected 30 cases from 2,500 tests

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos says football is ‘secondary’ but can ‘distract those who have been suffering’

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Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring at the Camp Nou. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:51am, 11 May 2020Updated: 9:51am, 11 May 2020

The Spanish football league is not changing its plan to resume competing after five players from clubs in the first and second divisions tested positive for Covid-19, with La Liga president Javier Tebas saying Sunday he hopes it can restart on June 12.

Tebas said if everything continues to go according to plan in Spain, he expects the league to resume a month from now – depending on decisions by local authorities regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

“We would like to start on June 12, but it will depend on a lot of things,” Tebas said in an interview late on Sunday with league broadcaster Movistar. “If we all continue to comply with the health safety measures, I don’t think we will have any problems.”

The league confirmed the positive tests on Sunday but said it was not going to alter the practice protocol that got under way last week. Players from most clubs began individual training sessions on Friday after nearly two months of confinement because of the pandemic.

Barcelona's forward Lionel Messi (R) in action against Real Madrid's defender Sergio Ramos (L) in December, 2019. Photo: EPA

The league said it will “continue to apply the back-to-training protocol” that was approved by government authorities to “guarantee the maximum safety of all players, coaches and club employees.”