Footballers in Spain Worried About La Liga Coronavirus Tests Because Other People Need Them More

Footballers in Spain’s La Liga are worried about large-scale Covid-19 testing, because they feel that other people are in greater need.

THE Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) says that there are greater priorities for urgent testing, which has been suggested as a way of the sport resuming behind closed doors in the next two months or so.

La Liga matches were suspended indefinitely in March because of the pandemic.

A meeting with the government’s sports minister this week suggested that training could resume under certain restrictions, with La Liga president Javier Tebas suggesting earlier this month that matches might return at the very end of May.

He’s concerned that up to a billion euros of TV rights may end up being unpaid if the current campaign is not finished.

The league has sent a set of guidelines to clubs in the first two divisions over how training could be restarted, which would include a major testing programme for all staff.

The strict protocol also suggests that players would need to be tested a minimum of three times, and would have to live away from their homes in isolation.

The players’ association statement says that it had written to Spain’s health and sports ministries to clarify if clubs have been given permission to conduct conduct tests.

It also reiterated players’ concerns about returning to work while the virus was still a threat and said they were wary of being stigmatised by the public for using testing equipment at a time of heightened public need.

“The AFE wants to point out that footballers have made it clear that other groups in society need tests and access to healthcare equipment more than they do,” said the statement.

“As workers, footballers will do as they are asked to by their clubs as long as there are no risks, which is why we believe it is absolutely necessary that the government provides clarity about testing.”