Tebas targets April for fan return but health minister sceptical

March 18 – La Liga president Javier Tebas believes a limited number of fans will be able to return to Spanish stadiums in April but separate reports that the two Copa del Rey finals the same month could open its gates have received short shrift from the government.

“It’s been a year, we’ve learned a lot, and we hope that by the third week of April we can start to have a percentage back in the stadiums,” Tebas told a media briefing, “if circumstances allow”.

“Everyone is cautiously watching Easter, a key moment to see how things are going We all hope that after Easter we can set a quick date.”

Spectators have been barred from top-flight Spanish football matches since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain has suffered more than three million Covid-19 cases and 72,565 deaths and reports that fans could be admitted when the rescheduled 2020 and this season’s  Copa del Rey finals are played in Seville on April 3 and 17 were rejected by Health Minister Carolina Darias.

“Let me be clear and blunt. It is not appropriate. It is not timely and it is not convenient,” Darias told a press conference.

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