LaLiga players wary of returning to action without government guarantees
Up to six teams have threatened that they will not play matches
La Liga footballers are wary of returning to action with the numbers of coronavirus-related deaths in Spain still so high. There are captains of Primera Division clubs that have expressed their concern to the Players' Association (AFE) about the dates suggested for football to return.
There isn't a unanimous opinion among the top-flight players, but there's an increasing desire for all proposals to be rejected unless the government offer guarantees. And they believe it's a fantasy that they could return to training on May 11.
The players are also annoyed with the role of the AFE. In a meeting, the club captains made it clear that they were against being concentrated at training grounds and hotels, away from their families, to finish the season. There's also a controversy with the idea of taking regular Covid-19 tests and they want football to stop again the moment there is one positive case. Minimum risk, health first.
Players are in permanent contact with each other and that will provide the key to football restarting. They have asked for information from the medical staff at their respective clubs and are awaiting their analysis.
In fact, the medical teams from LaLiga clubs have held their own meeting and agreed it was impossible to guarantee there will be zero risk as things are. The proposed controls will help, but it's impossible to predict what will happen.
Another issue is away games, above all in area where coronavirus is still active. Some of the captains are reluctant to travel to Barcelona or Madrid. Second division clubs, meanwhile, are reluctant for long-distance bus journeys across Spain.
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