It’s been 42 days since the last game in LaLiga Santander and with 11 matches still to be played, there’s been plenty of time to think about football, a sport which hasn’t been able to escape the reality which has affected the whole world.Real Madrid, their players, directors and fans, haven’t escaped the uncertainty about the crisis and the doubts that have come up.In the last few days, the squad have become increasingly concerned given the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) previsions for if the season can’t be played to the end.With ideas already considered about how European places could be given out, the squad, led by Sergio Ramos, are worried about what that might mean for the title.Calm the squadThe club itself has sought to calm the players, especially in conversations between the president, coach and captain, with a return to action the only option that they can foresee.That said, they don’t expect full-team training to take place until the end of May, with football returning in mid-June if everything progresses well with safety of the players and those involved guaranteed.For now, the squad is following the routines sent to them by Zinedine Zidane and his coaching team, but they know that there will be at least three weeks of training required before returning to competitive action.They are also clear that they want to win LaLiga Santander, once the health of all involved is secure, and those in power at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu have the same ambition as they are convinced that the rest of the season will be played out.They expect the calendar to be heavily modified but they are very clear that a team cannot be named champions without having played every game.The RFEF has not made any statement, nor had any talks with clubs, though the time could come as UEFA will request the final tables for the Champions League’s pool market, affecting how much money each team receives.Next week could be key in UEFA’s decision making with deadlines for matches to return still to be determined as FIFA do all they can to delay problems caused by players with contracts which end on June 30.For now, UEFA are reluctant to put an end to any tournaments as Belgium has done, but on Tuesday they will meet with federations and clubs and on Thursday the Executive Committee will decide how long the footballing calendar can be extended as they seek to decide championships on the pitch.
