Football action is on hold and debate is now raging on how to deal with the remainder of the season. Some feel that it would be best to wait a little bit longer although others see it a lost cause. If the latter is the case, then some technicalities are bound to surface.
There is no easy way of dealing with the dilemma that multiple sporting leagues are facing right now. But in the case of La Liga, former Barcelona star Hristo Stoichkov feels that ending the season now and promoting the two teams from the second division is the way to go, Goal.com reported.
If that is the case, Barcelona may be crowned champions if no more games are played. Before football action was placed on hold Barc held a two-point lead over Real Madrid. Cadiz and Real Zaragoza held the promotion places over in Segunda Division.
"If we see how the situation is, with the matches which have been played, it would be fairer to end the La Liga season as it is now," Stoichkov said to Cope program Tiempo de Juego.
Stoichkov also addressed the fate of lower teams. The league could stay as it is with the top two from Segunda Division promoted to have a 22 team league according to the Ballon d'Or winner in 1994 via the Evening Standard.
That is one of the possibilities that await La Liga faces, perhaps the most extreme one. Most are still leaving hope that games may still be played but with set conditions. One is playing games behind closed doors with no fans watching. However, that could still be up for debate.
Like in New York, events that have more than 10 people are discouraged - obviously for precautionary measures. And seeing how Spain has been hit hard by COVID-19 deaths, the suggestion of Stoichkov makes a bit more sense even if it is something no fan or team would want to end their campaign. More than 12,640 deaths in Spain and 69,450 have been recorded globally.
"It will return without an audience, surely, but before that, they have to do a pre-season. After so long at home, they can't go out and play as if nothing happened," said Jaume Roures, the chief of one of La Liga's broadcast partners Mediapro.
Aside from the season, footballers who have expiring contracts are also left hanging. With major transfers speculated, this is expected to be the next issue up for debate once the current season is finally decided on.
