To date, Poland has reported 11,067 positives and 499 deaths from COVID-19. But his government, dominated by the nationalist Law and Justice party, says it is convinced that it can apply a firm de-escalation. First, it refused to suspend the elections on May 10, alleging that this would only be possible if a state of emergency was declared . So he will try to take advantage of the fact that President Andrzej Duda dominates the polls - without pre-campaign, without rallies - to stay in power by voting by mail. Soccer has also joined this countercurrent attempt to return to normality.

The Polish professional league, known as PKO Ekstraklasa, has announced this Saturday its intention to resume the championship on May 29 and end it on July 19 . Thus, it becomes the first European country to set specific dates for a return to football. Not counting the case of Belarus, which chose to continue playing.

It was the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, who kicked off this Saturday, who made the thaw plan public. How to reopen outdoor sports spaces on May 4, in addition to allowing, on subsequent days, the reopening of indoor sports venues, swimming pools and even gyms . Leaving for May 29 the return to professional football. Behind closed doors, yes, but with the intention that the remaining four days will be played for its conclusion, with Legia Warsaw leading with an eight-point advantage over Piast Gliwice.

The national economy

"Sport is an important part of the national economy , " Morawiecki said in his press appearance, where he also gave free rein to another of Poland's most popular sports, speedway , a form of motocross.

The Polish executive, on the other hand, has approved the guidelines of the protocol drawn up between the Football Association (PZPN) and the clubs. This established a 14-day quarantine phase for all team members so that they can return to training as of May 4. Players and coaches from the 16 teams in competition on April 20 were isolated .

Next, the plan is similar to that proposed by other European countries, such as Germany and Spain, with a first phase of individual and small group training and various test runs, with final tests in the two days prior to the final return to the championship . "There will be strict sanitary control," said Morawiecki.

In Germany, where training has already resumed, the evolution of the pandemic is still pending to set a date for a return to football. In Spain, meanwhile, La Liga plans have been altered despite CSD support after social pressure pushed the government to delay the tests initially planned for next Tuesday for at least a week.

The Dutch Eredivisie, by contrast, became last Friday the first outstanding European league to be canceled , without a champion or relegated teams. Belgium has also been studying for weeks how to permanently suspend the season.

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