Spanish top-flight league La Liga will be played in front of empty stadium for the next two weeks due to deadly coronavirus spreading in the country, the league said in a statement on Tuesday.
“La Liga will be played behind closed doors for the next two weeks,” the top-flight Spanish football league said in a statement.
“LaLiga will continue to be in permanent contact with the Ministry of Health and the CSD to follow its recommendations and/or decisions, prioritizing the health of fans, players, club employees, journalists, etc., due to the COVID-19 health crisis,” the body said.
“For several weeks, LaLiga has been working on alternative plans in coordination with UEFA in case health authorities decide to suspend any match, creating a plan to play these matches,” it added.
🚨 OFFICIAL STATEMENT! 🚨
LaLiga will be played behind closed doors for the next two weeks.
📝 https://t.co/EpMayLcfrn pic.twitter.com/LHjhXt2e05
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) March 10, 2020
Spain has so far reported over 1,200 cases and 30 deaths due to the novel coronavirus.
In the wake of COVID-19, Italy’s Serie A has been suspended till at least April 3. This was preceded by the postponement of events like Qatar MotoGP, Azlan Shah Cup hockey and various Serie A matches. Among the most followed sports events worldwide, Euro 2020 and Tokyo Olympics 2020 have also been threatened but till now they have not been rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is pretty much on schedule and will commence from 29 March as has been confirmed by the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).