La Liga establish protocol for Spanish teams to return to training

On Thursday, La Liga communicated to the 42 clubs in Spain's top two divisions the protocol for returning to training as they try to look beyond the lockdown measures in the country. The measures will need to be given the green light by the health authorities. 

The protocol involves four phases in the build-up to the return to competition. The first phase is the continuation of training at home. The second is training individually at the training ground, getting ready and showering at home. The third phase is then working in small groups before the final phase, which would be larger group work. That would be the final phase before the return of the competition. 

During this time, as revealed by SPORT, the players would stay at hotels or in isolated residents. Access would be limited to the essential staff. That could take place at the club's training grounds, as is the case with Real Madrid and Villarreal, who have hotels on-site. 

Tests would have to be carried out among players and coaching staff. As we revealed the other day, La Liga would take charge of the costs of those.  

There would be three tests: before returning to individual training, before group sessions and just before the competition restarts. If there's a positive test for coronavirus, the player would be isolated from the group and the rest would continue with the established protocol. 

Barça coach Quique Setien and midfielder Sergio Busquets have both voiced doubts about the protocol being able to be carried out.