La Liga president Javier Tebas says he is “convinced” the league will be able to complete the 2019-20 season despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The top two divisions in Spain are currently at the start of a two-week break on all fixtures, while the Spanish government is also set to declare a 15-day national lockdown on Monday in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
A similar approach has been employed by authorities across the continent as they seek to limit events with large crowds, resulting in a near-total shutdown of all sporting events.
The Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 have all all been affected, with fixtures postponed until at least April.
The shutdown puts the outcome of the entire 2019-20 season in question, with very little time to complete fixtures even if leagues are able to resume at the start of next month.
With this season’s Champions League and Europa League also postponed, and qualification for next season’s tournaments to be decided, a synchronised approach is needed between the European leagues when working out what to do next.
There has been much debate about a possible solution, all of which would prove controversial. They include declaring the season null and void, locking the season in with the teams in their current positions or having play-offs to decide titles, promotion and relegation.
European football’s governing body UEFA is meeting on Tuesday, where it is expected they will postpone Euro 2020 for a year, which would afford leagues some vital breathing space and the opportunity to try and finish their seasons in June, thus minimising the impact on the 2020-21 season.
Despite the increasing uncertainty, Tebas remains confident that the remaining fixtures will be completed, eventually.
"I am convinced that we are going to end the season. We are working with other leagues to match dates,” he told Cope.
Tebas also added that two people within La Liga had tested positive for coronavirus, but that plans were in place to try and safeguard staff as much as possible.
"In La Liga we have had two positives and we have spent several weeks with an action plan, 95% of the staff are teleworking,” he added.
