A month with no football

Friday marks exactly a month since professional football was last played in Spain.So much has changed in that time, with Spain now in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus crisis.While there’s been no action on the pitch, plenty has happened in the footballing world too, from Barcelona’s civil war to pay cuts. All in just 30 days.Ipurua and MestallaIpurua played host to the last LaLiga Santander game before football’s suspension, with Real Sociedad beating Eibar on March 10 in front of an empty stadium.That night also saw Mestalla host Valencia’s second leg with Atalanta, also behind closed doors, in the Champions League.First casesOn March 15, Ezequiel Garay became the first footballer in Spain to test positive for coronavirus.

Other LaLiga Santander clubs affected have been Alaves with 15 cases and Espanyol with 10, including Leandro Cabrera and Wu Lei.LaLiga vs AFE vs RFEFDiscussions over how to approach the rest of the season have split Spain’s major footballing bodies.LaLiga, the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have fallen out over a range of subjects, from pay cuts to coronavirus tests.One agreement reached between the AFE and the RFEF says that 72 hours will have to be left between matches once the season resumes.Champions League and Copa del ReyWhen will the Champions League final be played? June 27 has been sounded out as the date, but that was never made official.The Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad is also up in the air, with both clubs hoping it can be played with fans at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville.Pay cuts in footballBarcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Alaves and Espanyol are among the Spanish clubs to file for an ERTE, a scheme run by the Spanish government that pays a percentage of employees’ wages. Players of these clubs have also taken pay cuts because of this.Other clubs like Real Madrid, Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Osasuna and Granada have introduced pay cuts without having to file for an ERTE.There has been lots of tension at Barcelona over this, with Lionel Messi hitting out at the board over the pressure they put on the players.Fuenlabrada and Biel RibasPlayer contracts are set to become a major issue, especially those that expire in June this year.Biel Ribas is the most high profile player to terminate his deal after Fuenlabrada asked him to play past his contract without pay.