Madrid (AFP)
The 2019-2020 season of the Spanish championship will resume on June 11 with the Seville derby, and the 2020-2021 season will start on September 12, announced the Spanish Higher Sports Council via press release, confirming remarks by the president of LaLiga , Javier Tebas.
"The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga have agreed (...) on the format of the eleven remaining days to finish LaLiga Santander (1st division) and LaLiga Smartbank (2nd division). Resumption of competition will take place the weekend of June 13 and 14, and the first match will be scheduled on Thursday 11 between Sevilla FC and Betis Sevilla ", said the Spanish Sports Council (CSD), chaired by Irene Lozano.
"The last day will probably take place on the weekend of July 18 and 19, always depending on the evolution of the pandemic," said the CSD (equivalent to the Ministry of Sports), member of the dialogue group for the resumption of the competition after the new coronavirus pandemic, alongside the Spanish federation and LaLiga.
Earlier Friday morning, in a remote program organized by the Marca media on the theme of "Sport of tomorrow", Javier Tebas announced that "the important thing will be to know the date of the end of the season (2019/20). The next one (the 2020/21 season) will start on September 12, "he said.
"God willing, we will start on June 11. We are waiting for Madrid and Barcelona to move on to phase 2 (deconfinement). More than 130 people are currently working so that everything can be done in a new form. Travel, organization, everything. We are ready, "promised the head of the body that manages professional football in Spain.
On May 23, the Spanish government gave the green light for the resumption of professional sports, and therefore the football championship, from the week of June 8.
"Tonight (Friday evening), we are going to make tests so that the viewer has the choice between two images: the real one, and the one with virtual sound effects (from the audience, note). In the Bundesliga, they chose the formula with virtual sound effects, with success, and therefore we are working to offer this option ", said Javier Tebas, guest with Javier Guillén, the director of the Tour of Spain cycling, and Carmelo Ezpeleta, the boss of Dorna Sports, promoter of the MotoGP championship.
"We want to offer an alternative to the supporters: silence, or the virtualisation of the stands. The tests I have seen are interesting, but there will be both options," Tebas assured.
© 2020 AFP