Real Madrid: The pitch at the new Bernabéu has turf
Real Madrid have pressed ahead with planting the new pitch in case the fans are allowed back in to the stadium despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pitch at the New Santiago Bernabéu is en route to being covered in grass, with the turf having been replanted. Twitter user Javier Caireta's photos show a substantial part of the playing surface has been restored. Paul Burgess, Real Madrid's experienced head groundsman, is supervising the operation which will last around a week.
The New Bernabéu ready for fans
Real Madrid have been able to shorten the length of time needed on the construction of the New Bernabéu to the point where it could be ready in a year. But they also wanted to make room for the possibility that the fans will be allowed to return and matches will once again be held at the Bernabéu.
The idea to replant the pitch is focused on that idea: the possibility of the fans being able to return to the stadiums, despite the coronavirus.
Real Madrid in principle, however, plan to play their games at Valdebebas for the foreseeable future. Real Madrid won the LaLiga title there at the end of last season and the ground works from a televisual point of view. The work on the New Bernabéu is going ahead at the fastest rate possible allowed with the Covid-19 restrictions in place, and Real Madrid want to have everything in place for the moment when the authorities allow fans back into the grounds.
In France, fans are now allowed into grounds for friendlies up to 30% capacity, while the European Super Cup is also planning to have just under a third of the ground full. For LaLiga, the decisions over when to reopen the stadiums are in the hands of the Spanish Ministry of Health and the National Sports Council and currently with the number of cases rising again in Spain things are not looking optimistic, but Real Madrid want to be ready, just in case.