According to La Liga figures professional football accounts for 1.37% of the country’s GDP and creates 185,000 jobs.
DOHA: Spanish clubs will returning to training this week following the Ministry of Health’s approval for the return of sports training sessions, the La Liga said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This crisis has had a profound impact on all of us. The return of football is a sign that society is progressing towards the new normal. It will also bring back an element of life that people in Spain and around the world know and love,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas.
“People’s health is paramount, so we have a comprehensive protocol to safeguard the health of everyone involved as we work to restart. Circumstances are unprecedented, but we hope to start playing again in June and finish our 19/20 season this summer.”
In accordance with the Return to Training Protocol that La Liga has drawn up with medical experts, professional players from La Liga Santander and La Liga SmartBank – the first and second divisions – will start training alone following medical tests carried out by club staff.
“This return to training has been planned by La Liga with measures that have been agreed with the relevant sports and health authorities in order to guarantee as much safety as possible for the health of all those involved,” the statement added.
In April, Tebas said the Spanish top-flight and second division could start on May 28-29, June 6-7 or June 28-29 and could be played behind closed doors.
Spain’s government continued to ease lockdown measures related to the illness on Monday which has claimed more than 25,400 lives according to official figures.
According to La Liga figures professional football accounts for 1.37% of the country’s GDP and creates 185,000 jobs.
“Professional footballers returning to work will go hand in hand with the recovery of a very significant economic sector that accounts for 1.37% of Spain’s GDP and creates 185,000 jobs. This is at a time when the country’s economic situation is now the main concern, precipitated by the health crisis.”
