Madrid (AFP)
La Liga under threat of a second wave of the new coronavirus? With at least seven clubs already affected before the resumption scheduled for September 12, the Spanish championship is fearfully witnessing a multiplication of cases, as in the whole country, severely affected by the pandemic.
While clubs that no longer play European competitions are slowly returning to training to prepare for the start of the 2020-2021 season on September 12, cases of Covid-19 abound: for the time being, around forty new cases in the players or within the staffs have been announced in about fifteen professional clubs since the beginning of August.
Among them, half a dozen first division formations, not to mention the two positive cases deplored by the promoted Huesca, the case detected by Mallorca and another by Espanyol, both relegated.
- LaLiga, "serene but vigilant" -
"Tension in the calm. This is how one could describe the state of mind of the organizers of professional Spanish football," summed up the daily El Español on Friday, which published an inventory entitled: "LaLiga , serene but vigilant after the new cases: 37 positive for Covid-19 in Spanish professional football.
Athletic Bilbao, for example, announced that it had detected six cases on Thursday, including the Spanish international Iñaki Williams or the young nugget Oihan Sancet. And still trembles: the Basque club was still awaiting the results of the additional tests passed by the whole team on Saturday, to have a definitive answer on the number of players reached.
The virus does not make a difference: illustrious clubs like smaller formations, no one escapes it. Just before facing Manchester City in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League on August 7, Real Madrid announced that their striker Mariano Diaz had tested positive for the coronavirus.
And while its first team was in Lisbon for the final eight-team Champions League tournament (August 12-23), FC Barcelona even announced on Friday the contamination of French world champion Samuel Umtiti, who remained in Catalonia for treat his left knee. On Wednesday, a positive case had already been detected: that of young French defender Jean-Clair Todibo (20), who was starting his pre-season but who was not, however, in contact with the rest of the team either.
In addition to the two positive cases (Sime Vrslajko and Angel Correa) announced by Atlético Madrid 24 hours to fly to Lisbon, in addition to the cases spotted within the women's team, the French international Maxime Gonalons (31 years old, 7 selections) in Granada and Eliaquim Mangala (29 years old, 8 select) in Valencia have also announced that they have tested positive for Covid-19.
- Tebas undermined -
An upsurge in cases that undermines LaLiga. While the body that manages professional football in Spain envisaged a return of the public to the stands up to 30% of the stadium capacity for the 2020-2021 season, this possibility now seems compromised.
After having succeeded in organizing an express end of the championship, with eleven days to play in a month behind closed doors and with a strict health protocol, Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, then lost credit with the Fuenlabrada affair .
This D2 club made the trip to La Coruña to play their last league match before the play-offs with several positives in their team ... And LaLiga did not suspend the entire last day but only the match in question. A choice criticized by a large part of football players in Spain.
The divisive leader of Spanish professional football, under the fire of criticism, is he able to launch the 2020-2021 championship in adequate safety conditions for the health of all?
In a country heavily and still actively affected by the pandemic, and where football is a religion, the example of LaLiga will be closely scrutinized and followed as a model.
© 2020 AFP