One of Spanish football’s leading doctors says pitches and balls will need to be sterilised before, during and after games if and when competitive action returns to La Liga.
In an extensive interview with El Pais, Rafael Ramos, who is president of the Spanish Association of Football Team Doctors, explained that when the sport returns it will be football but not as we know it.
‘In the beginning players are not going to have the same contact that they are used to. We are going to see another kind of football,’ Ramos said.
‘Everything will be a bit different. Players will not be holding on to each other at corners.’
Asked if players could be infected by the ball hitting them in the face, Ramos said: ‘No, because all the material used, including the pitch and the balls will be sterilised before and after the game and at half time. Being hit by a sterile ball on a sterile pitch – it will be difficult to get infected that way.’
La Liga’s protocol for a return to action has established four phases. First there will be training alone or in pairs; then training in small groups; then training as a squad; before finally playing fixtures again, providing there have not been any outbreaks that clubs have been unable to control in the previous three phases.
Phase four will throw up new questions. ‘We need to determine if the teams live together in a hotel,’ Ramos said.
The idea of players having to be in lockdown with team-mates has met with some resistance. Ramos says it could still be avoidable.
‘Enclosing the players and the technical and medical staff in a hotel for 15 days prior to the restart just to reassure ourselves they are Covid-19 Free could become very tough [for them],’ he told El Pais.
‘Without this measure, the effectiveness of the protocol would decrease a little, but with the previous controls that we will have had in place in the weeks prior to the matches, not having the players on lockdown could be considered.’
Ramos also said that the coronavirus was not the only concern among La Liga's team doctors.
‘Players have not been competing and have been enclosed for eight weeks and not all of them have big houses to work-out in.
‘We do not know how long it will take to recover physically without increasing the incidence of injury.’
Some players are upset that they will be required to sign a consent form before the season restarts.
‘It does not imply exempting us from our responsibility,’ said Ramos who pointed out that players sign something similar at the start of every season.
He added: ‘This is simply to inform the players of the situation regarding the pandemic, the need to carry out the tests, the protocols, and since they will not be confined at home and are exposing themselves to contact with other people, there is a level of risk.’
There is still a lot of resistance to football starting again in Spain. Players have been among those speaking out against the ethics of testing footballers while many health workers have not access to testing.
La Liga has brought the tests from a German company privately and is waiting for Spain’s Health ministry to give the go-ahead for them to be used.
‘I’m a doctor and my colleagues are working on the front line. I understand that people can question this on moral grounds,’ said Ramos.
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