Spanish Government to Allow Fans to Attend La Liga Matches From July
By Adam Aladay
The Spanish government has decided fans in Spain will be allowed to attend football matches from July - but this remains contingent upon the containment of the coronavirus outbreak.
Play has been halted in Spain since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but like England and Italy, they are now preparing to follow in Germany's footsteps and get the 2019/20 season back underway.
La Liga is set to resume on 11 June, with the Seville derby the first game back - and matches are expected to be played every day until 19 July in order to complete the campaign in reasonable time.
? OFICIAL | EL consejo de ministros regula el acceso de público a espectáculos deportivos
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) June 9, 2020
✅ Confirmada la noticia adelantada ayer por @partidazocope https://t.co/2ELPHHoS7l pic.twitter.com/SdwWxbYQRK
The noise - or lack of - during Bundesliga matches in Germany since play got back underway has been the topic of much discussion, with artificial crowd sounds now being added in an attempt to make the viewing experience more entertaining. A similar approach is being adopted with regards to the Premier League and in La Liga, as well.
However, despite this, COPE report that the Council of Ministers in government have approved the attendance of crowds at sports games once again in Spain. Should Spain not see a major rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, fans will be allowed to return to La Liga games at the start of July.
A number of strict measures must be adhered to, however, in order to ensure people's safety and well-being. For example, fans must be at least 1.5 metres away from one another, while crowd control measures will also be implemented.
It's unclear at this stage how the plan with work out, but there won't be stadiums at full capacity any time soon.
It is further noted that in circumstances when it may not be possible for fans to maintain this safety distance, 'adequate' hygiene measures will be implemented to minimise the risk of the virus being spread. The number of fans allowed into grounds will, of course, depend on the size of each stadium.
This will undoubtedly come as a major boost for fans in Spain, but the ultimate priority remains the safety and well-being for everyone involved.