Coronavirus, the Complicated Restart of Football in Europe
In all Europe, the need for football to start again at all costs continues to divide between pros, cons, and skeptics. If in France the players' union is on a war footing to permanently leave the ball at home, in Spain where, as in Italy, the Catalans of Barcelona would like to restart the car with training starting from 4 May, as often happened even in politics, they distance themselves from the central power, expressing all their skepticism about the times and ways to get back on the field. Those who do not doubt that the coronavirus or not, the football season must be closed in Germany with the Bundesliga already training and on April 23, when the general assembly between federations and leagues is scheduled, there should be the official start on the weekend of May 8, or the next one, obviously, behind closed doors. In the English Premier, however, among the hypotheses to avoid the freezing of the championship, there is that of ending the tournament in June and July: competitions behind closed doors and broadcast on TV, at the rate of 4 per day. To move players and staff as little as possible, there is the possibility of making all the matches (or a good part) play even at Wembley.
In Spain, we are moving towards the resumption of training on May 4th. In essence, a plan has been prepared at various points with medical checks, work in small groups, closed retreats, which, however, provoked strong doubts on the part of Barcelona, league leaders. A plan that club doctors will discuss today and tomorrow will be analyzed by technicians and captains in a meeting. Four phases: medical check-ups, individual training, group training of no more than eight players, corporate trainings. Tampons are constant, 15-day closed retreats in sports centers or hotels, showers at home throughout the first phase. The protocol is already in the hands of La Liga clubs, and Barcelona has not hidden all its doubts: too much haste to return to play, at the expense of training with consequent risks of injuries, and then the controversy over the high number of swabs players who would pass for privileged. Coach Setien and Captain Busquets have already written down their objections, and according to El Mundo, they are ready to oppose the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, between captains, technicians, and Liga. Real, on the other hand, seems prepared to say yes. Indeed, according to the Spanish media, it would think of playing the internal games at the Di Stefano stadium, inside its sports center, instead of at the Bernabeu.
The position of the players' unions in France is clear that "the economic emergency must not take precedence over the public health imperative. We give up a resumption of the championship which, in these conditions, would be hasty and dangerous ». Sylvain Kastendeuch, co-president of the Union of French professional footballers (UNFP), launched the appeal to postpone everything until next season. "To allow our talents to continue to shine, it seems to be more reasonable, juster, and more virtuous to choose reason today so that tomorrow we can do that of the heart again." Kastendeuch fears that the health and physical security to protect the players are not satisfied, while the French League (LFP) hopes to complete by the end of July the season 2019-2020 in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. In-game also for In France, there is the economic survival of professional clubs, deprived of part of the revenues deriving from television rights, currently suspended by television broadcasters. So still many doubts, even in Europe on which the week that begins will have to give a definitive answer.
