Some fans could return before season ends, says La Liga president Javier Tebas
- Published
Local police prepare at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium ahead of the local derby between Sevilla and Real Betis on 11 June
La Liga hopes to have some supporters back in stadiums by the end of the season, says president Javier Tebas.
Spain's top flight resumes on Thursday, having been suspended on 10 March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tebas says talks will take place with the government in two weeks to discuss the possibility of fans returning when it is safe to do so.
"Of course it won't be the entire stadium and there will be special precautionary measures," said Tebas.
"If we can have even 10% or 15% by the end of the season, if that happens we will be very happy about that because that's a sign that we are getting back to some form of normality.
"When we celebrate will be when we actually finish the competitions, both the First Division and the Second Division. This crisis still hasn't come to an end."
Tebas also said Neymar's rumoured return to Barcelona is unlikely to happen because of the financial impact of coronavirus.
The Brazil forward was heavily linked with a switch back to Spain last summer, two years after his world-record 拢200m move to Paris St-Germain, but the deal never went through.
"There will be a lot less movement than we have seen in other transfer windows," Tebas added.
"Neymar [going back to Barca] is a big cash deal," he said. "I don't think it is going to come off."
Tebas added that if no fans are allowed in stadiums until the end of the year, he is predicting a contraction in the European summer transfer market from 3bn to 800m euros.
Tebas confirmed talks with governing body Uefa and other major leagues, including the Premier League, were ongoing about when the summer transfer window was likely to close.
The new German season is likely to start before that of the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga, but the situation is not entirely straightforward because of clubs involved in the latter stages of European competition.
However, Tebas is expecting an agreement to be reached for the window to close just before the Champions League group phase starts, which is planned for October.
"It will not be [closing at] the end of July, when the competitions are just finishing. It will be a shorter transfer window than in other years, but we are going to come to a consensus," he added.