Report: La Liga concocts complex plan to return; expects no fans until 2021

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La Liga players appear set for daily coronavirus tests and prolonged spells away from their families as part of the league's four-part protocol to ensure squads are match-ready.

Javier Tebas, president of Spain's top flight, remains committed to restarting the 2019-20 campaign on either May 28, June 6, or June 28 despite warning clubs that fans are unlikely to be allowed to attend matches until 2021, according to The Guardian's Sid Lowe.

In an attempt to accelerate the return of Spanish soccer, a gradual plan to return to full training was drawn up by doctors of three top-flight clubs before being reviewed by the medical departments of four more teams across the first two divisions. The process calls for squads to be given a month of training - where possible - before games can restart.

The protocol has since been sent out to every La Liga club and discussions over its execution began with medical staff on Wednesday. The first wave of coronavirus tests for players is slated for next Tuesday, subject to approval from health authorities.

The four phases, as detailed by Lowe, are as follows:

Phase 1

• The first round of tests is earmarked for April 28.
• The league intends to conduct at least three tests on each player before they return to any activity, starting with polymerase chain reaction and serology tests.
• Sessions can begin up to two weeks after the first test and two days after the final test of the opening phase.
• Players will be given daily serology antibody tests when sessions start and will be isolated if they test positive.

Phase 2

• Individual sessions will begin at the training ground, with players arriving at staggered times, always in the same car, and dressed in kit.
• The number of players on site will be limited to 12, with no more than six on the pitch at one time.
• Only one cook will be allowed to prepare meals and, along with laundry staff and security, will follow strict COVID-19 guidelines.
• Players will leave with the next day's kit in a sealed, biodegradable bag.
• Dressing rooms will not be in use, but the facility will be disinfected before each session. Every staff member must wear gloves and face masks, except the players when they are on the training pitches.

Phase 3

• Players begin time away from their families, and won't be allowed home during this phase. They will stay in isolation at the training ground, or at a residency or hotel used exclusively by the squad.
• Players will stay in individual rooms and there will be no communal areas.
• Group sessions will be conducted in three eight-player groups with no more than 20 staff on site. Each group is spread across three dressing rooms to ensure no more than three players are together.
• When the session is over, players will return to their rooms.

Phase 4

• Clubs will still rely on multiple disinfected dressing rooms, but the squads will train together as normal. Players will be working to get ready for a return to action.
• It's expected there will be at least 72 hours between La Liga matches.

While it's hoped the four-part process will take a month to complete, La Liga apparently appreciates the fluidity of the situation as Spain remains gripped by the pandemic. The Iberian nation has the second-most confirmed cases of the coronavirus with over 213,000 and has suffered more than 22,000 related deaths.

Tebas is desperate to conclude the 2019-20 La Liga season and suggested earlier this month that soccer should be treated differently from other events that attract large crowds, such as theaters and cinemas. The league chief calculated that the cost of canceling the season would be around €1 billion and claimed the division "accounts for 1.37% of (the country's) GDP."