LALIGA SANTANDER
LaLiga hopes games will resume behind closed doors on 3 May
Javier Tebas called a meeting with the Management Committee while waiting for UEFA’s decision on Euro 2020. He wants to play the remaining 11 games behind closed doors.
While UEFA are expected to announce their decision on the immediate future of all of their competitions, and by extension, all of the national competitions within its remit, LaLiga continues to hold crisis meetings to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having on Spanish football. Yesterday, LaLiga president Javier Tebas met with those who form part of his inner circle before chairing the monthly Delegated Committee; today, he called a meeting with the Management Committee at midday to begin formulating a strategy for restarting domestic competition – depending on what UEFA decide later today.
Last week, the Spanish Football Federation put forward four possible scenarios for concluding LaLiga. Much will depend on the outcome of today’s meeting in Nyon in which UEFA will be discussing what plan of action to take with members of the 55 European federationes as well as the players syndicate FIFpro. LaLiga’s strategy is based on one hypothesis - that Euro 2020 is either suspended or delayed which would allow the national competition to resume in the first week of May (2 and 3 May, or before if at all possible) with the league ending in June. That would entail playing midweek matches as well as on weekends to be able to fit in the promotion Play-offs. If Tebas’ plan happens, all of the remaining games in the top two divisions would be played behind closed doors.
LaLiga’s main aim is to ensure that clubs don’t lose the 100+ television broadcasting rights contracts which are shared out all over the globe. Tebas understands that Spanish clubs are set to lose out on gate receipts for the 11 matches that remain, but the health of players, club employees and fans must come first. The key is not losing the 25% of income from broadcasting rights. Many broadcasting companies are worried that the league might not reach its conclusion. Those television contracts may even need to be revised, which would be a major inconvenience for LaLiga. Tebas is quietly hoping the UEFA will decide to suspend Euro 2020, and better still, reduce all further Champions League ties to one game. That would help LaLiga to sort out what to do with the domestic competitions. That UEFA have asked all of the leagues to contribute to the creation of a solidarity fund, hasn’t gone down well at all.