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MADRID: Five players from the two main leagues in Spain tested positive for coronavirus, La Liga confirmed on Sunday (May 10).
Players from the Spanish and Second Division divisions were allowed to do individual work on the training grounds last week.
The move was the start of a staggered training program, with the goal of restarting competitive games in mid-June.
The League insists that identifying infected players through positive testing is part of that plan.
The five players, who have not been officially named, will be quarantined at home and will be re-evaluated “in the coming days.”
They will be allowed to rejoin their club’s training program only after obtaining two consecutive negative results.
A statement from La Liga said: “Among the La Liga Santander and La Liga SmartBank (Segunda) clubs, five positive cases were detected in players, all asymptomatic and in the final phase of the disease.”
“One of the objectives of these medical tests, according to the protocol of the League to return to training, according to the recommendations of the CSD (Supreme Council of Sports) and the Ministry of Health, was precisely to detect what is called or asymptomatic, that is to say, those people who are infected and who, without presenting symptoms, can infect other people, “the statement added.
“In this way, we guarantee everyone’s safety when they return to work in accordance with workplace risk regulations.”
The La Liga training plan includes players who initially do the work individually before later expanding into small groups and eventually participating in larger team sessions.
The Barcelona players returned for their first session on Friday, while Real Madrid will return on Monday.
The medical protocol for training is strict and includes players who arrive already changed and at specific times to avoid contact with others. They wear masks and gloves, and they take their temperature before entering the facilities. At the end of the training, they carry a bag of new kit for the next day and shower at home.
The league has not officially announced the time for the resumption of competitive matches, although Leganes coach Javier Aguirre said last week that the proposed date is June 20.
That could correspond to the Spanish government’s de-escalation program, which includes external events that are allowed to continue in its fourth and final phase, provided that fewer than 400 people attend.
Football matches are expected to take place behind closed doors for several months.
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, said that “it is not an option” to cancel the superior flight since he estimates that the economic consequences would cost the clubs around a billion euros (US $ 1.08 billion).
But the third and fourth levels in Spain will not complete their seasons, as confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Wednesday. Instead, promotions will be decided through play-offs and there will be no relegations.
