La Liga president Javier Tebas has explained how the league has put in place provisional plans to combat and contain the spread of Coronavirus.
Speaking at a La Liga event ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the league chief explained how an internal group has been set up by the division.
However, he also moved to quell concerns that the league schedule looks set to be interrupted by the global virus, which has taken a grip on parts of Europe in recent weeks.
“We have set up an internal Coronavirus group to monitor situation,” Tebas told reporters at an event, as cited by Diario AS.
“We have criteria when a game would have to be postponed or played behind closed doors. Thankfully not reached that situation in Madrid yet.
“We have not considered suspending El Clasico or any other matches across the divisions.
“It is one thing to suspend a game and another is not to play it. We are looking at the alternative of playing games behind closed doors, so that game would have been played behind closed doors, like any other, and if it could not be done then we need to look at suspension.
“We have sent that approach to UEFA so that it also takes into account the (European) qualifiers where there are Spanish teams. We work on the forecast and not upon improvisation.
“Now, in Valencia, we have had a case of a journalist (catching the virus) and what has been done is to rethink the approaches in the press conferences.
“When someone is affected by this disease you have to isolate him with quarantine, but here we have not reached that situation.”
The comments come after Valencia confirmed in a statement on Friday afternoon that all events would not be taking place until further notice on the advice of local health authorities.
It follows on from a report in Marca that Valencia are now liaising with health authorities in the region with regards to playing their Champions League Round of 16 return leg against Atalanta behind closed doors at the Mestalla.
That was in the wake of four Valencia fans and a local journalist being advised to self-isolate after returning from the game in Milan, the club are now considering drastic action for the return leg.
Four Serie A matches were postponed last weekend, amid growing fears of the increase in cases in Northern Italy.
Five new Coronavirus cases have now been identified in Spain in recent days.
