London: Welsh star Gareth Bale, who plays for heavyweights Real Madrid, feels Spanish LaLiga should not be pushed to a restart and every measure should be taken to avoid a second wave of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
‘Everyone wants to play football, but the most important thing is everyone stays safe, we don’t want to come back too early. We need to make sure everything is done safely so we avoid the second wave of this virus,’ Bale told British broadcaster BT Sports.
LaLiga President Javier Tebas has made it clear that cancelling the 2019/20 season is not an option and they are exploring various options and scenarios as the situation develops amid the ongoing outbreak of novel coronavirus.
Spain’s football industry is one of many-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and like any other sector, next steps will depend on the advice of health authorities.
‘Nulling and voiding the season is not an option on the table. But we are reviewing multiple scenarios, such as what happens if we play behind closed doors and what happens if we play with crowds and what happens if games aren’t played,’ Tebas had told reporters on videocall.
‘We have to look at all possibilities, but we’re not working towards a situation where we don’t complete the season.
‘We’re looking to ensure the best health conditions for players for when they resume training and we’re looking to reduce the economic risk.
This is a health pandemic, but also an economic pandemic,’ he added.
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets has also sounded caution as Tebas had said LaLiga restart could be as early as 28-29 May.
‘I suppose it’s workable, to train without getting too close to the other guys, showering at home, but meetings and travelling to a match would be difficult,’ said Busquets.