Governing Bodies
LA LIGA PLANS RETURN BY JUNE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Daily tests for the coronavirus. Only two people in the gym at a time. Players dressing for practice at home.
These are just some of the protocols La Liga deems necessary to allow even practice to take place before Spanish top-flight games can resume.
The league has been on ice since March 12 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, but despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown, the league is gearing up to resume behind the scenes.
Rafael Ramos of the Spanish Association of Football Team Physicians told local radio on Thursday (April 23) night that La Liga is planning to return to action in stages, saying: “The idea according to La Liga is to (first) test everyone on April 28 and 29.”
Once that is out of the way, Javier Tebas, who is the league’s president, is targeting May 4 as the date for clubs to resume training, with the end of next month, if not June, for the return to play.
He said: “The scenarios we are looking at could see La Liga restart as early as May 28-29, but it could also be June 6-7 or even as late as June 28.”
The league appears to be leaving nothing to chance in official documents seen by the New York Times, despite the pursuit to get back on the field being driven by commercial reasons as much as sporting merit.
Tebas has said calling off the season, with 11 rounds to play, would amount to a financial catastrophe, costing teams as much as €1 billion (S$1.54 billion) in losses.
But with the world’s second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in Spain – over 219,000 cases and the third-highest number of deaths at over 22,500 as of yesterday – ensuring the safety of the players will be key to the competition resuming.
With that in mind, the league is aiming to start playing games without spectators in June.
To get there, it has consulted with experts to devise a month-long training protocol divided into four parts. Two days before the regimen begins, all players, coaches and staff deemed necessary to have contact with them will be tested for both Covid-19 symptoms and immunity to the virus.
The tests will continue throughout May, with players tested in their cars before being allowed to enter practice facilities.
A positive test at any point would result in the player being sent home to isolate until he is deemed no longer contagious. His teammates would also be sent home and tested again before being allowed to return.
However, La Liga’s proposal was yesterday slammed by the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) as diverting away critical public health services.
It also reiterated concerns about returning to work while Covid-19 remains such a threat and said the players were wary of being stigmatised over utilising the large-scale testing despite other sections of society being in greater need of the facility.
A statement read: “AFE wishes to point out footballers have made it clear that other groups in society need tests and access to healthcare equipment more than they do.
“As workers, footballers will do as they are asked to by their clubs as long as there are no risks, which is why we believe it is absolutely necessary that the government provides clarity about testing.”
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale also feels La Liga is rushing its return too quickly, urging patience to adopt a wait-and-see approach.
“Everyone wants to play football, but the most important thing is everyone stays safe, we don’t want to come back too early,” he told BT Sports. “We need to make sure everything is done safely so we avoid the second wave of this virus.”
Espanyol goalkeeper Diego Lopez agreed with Bale, questioning if the plans made logical sense, adding: “Ask yourself if this is really a good idea. Is it safe? Isn’t our main concern everybody’s safety?”
The outbreak has also prevented Serie A players from returning to training, with Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora earlier this week saying the government was not ready to set a resumption date.
Given the uncertainty, Italy’s football chiefs on Thursday announced that the end of the season will be pushed back from June 30 to Aug 2.
The German Bundesliga is likely to be the first European league to resume. Games could be played from May 9, pending state lawmakers’ approval.
The French Ligue 1 aims to start on June 17 but players are yet to return to training.
The English Premier League has not set a date to restart.
– AFP, REUTERS, NYTIMES
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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