LaLiga officials discuss potential protocols for vaccines distribution among member clubs
LaLiga officials discuss potential protocols for vaccines distribution among clubs
With Spain being one of the worst-hit Covid nations in Europe, there was a concern at the start on whether the 20/21 La Liga season would face potential troubles in the pandemic. But somehow, La Liga has seen a growth of 15 percent in sponsorship this season amid the pandemic, as revealed by the officials in a press call earlier this week.
It has been quite a successful season for the Spanish league as none of the games in the 1st division have yet been postponed/cancelled despite the number of positive Covid cases in the country.
It has also been an unpredictable season in terms of results, with Barcelona currently lying at the 4th position and Atletico Madrid four points clear of Real Madrid at the top. The Covid protocols established by the officials before the start of the season have proven to be successful in controlling the pandemic, and reducing the loss sustained due to lack of crowd.
"It is due to the adherence of the mandate that we have been able to manage an exceptional comeback without great economic damage. This year we have also witnessed a significant increase in revenue coming in from the International market," Economic Control Director Luis Manfrendi explained on the press call.
But with Spain approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19 prevention in December, the potential next protocols that LaLiga would need to work out would be the distribution, and the monitoring of vaccinations among member clubs. In response to a query by Hindustan Times regarding the same, La Liga officials shed light on what potentially could be the measures regarding the same.
"Regarding the vaccinations, we are waiting for the government to start vaccinating a huge part of the population. Then we will look towards getting the vaccinations for the players and the clubs. We don't see it in the next 2-3 months. It is something for the next season," Jaime Blanco, Attached to Chairman’s office, said.
"What we may see in the future is La Liga trying to acquire those vaccinations for the club in order to have a lower economic impact because each club goes to the market and it will be more expensive. But it is something for the next season, and not the current season," he added.
"Although it doesn't belong to Economic Control Development, which I control, I do know that we have financial assistance. We assumed the cost of the expenses concerning the control and the acclimatisation of the pandemic," Manfrendi added.
La Liga India Managing Director Jose Antonio Cachaza further said: "So far, in Spain, the vaccines are exclusively administered by the government. They are not available in the free market. La Liga chairman Javier Tebas said just two weeks ago that La Liga will not go jump over the public distribution order that the government has set in.
"Of course, if it is set across and it is centralised, it will be set in the same manner that La Liga has centralising the cost of testing to our clubs. We have spent so far around 60 million in process of controlling the health of players, clubs, officials, and workers. These are all La Liga all-class budget, it does not affect the club's individual class-budget," he signed off.
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