Coronavirus: Professional football in Spain suspended indefinitely

All matches in the Spanish top flight and Segunda division were halted for two weeks on March 12

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Football in Spain will remain suspended until further notice to stem the flow of coronavirus, La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation have announced.

Matches in Spain's top two divisions will only resume when the Spanish government deem there is no longer a health risk, a joint statement from La Liga and the RFEF said.

"The Monitoring Commission established by the current RFEF-La Liga Coordination Agreement agrees the suspension of professional football competitions until the authorities of the Government of Spain and the General Administration of the State consider they can be resumed without creating any health risk."

All matches in the Spanish top flight and Segunda division were halted for two weeks on March 12 after the Real Madrid squad were put into isolation after a member of the club's basketball team tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

Plans to resume football in the country this weekend looked ambitious at the time and have now been shelved indefinitely, with the crisis continuing to escalate.

The total number of deaths due to coronavirus in Spain passed 2,000 on Sunday, making it the third worst-affected country in the world, behind only Italy and China.

The Spanish government declared a state of alarm on March 14 and intends to extend the lockdown imposed on the population until at least April 11.

Several Spanish clubs have been affected by the crisis with La Liga side Alaves confirming last week that 15 people from the club had tested positive for coronavirus, including three first-team players.

Alaves said seven members of the La Liga club's coaching staff had also tested positive, along with five other employees.

On March 6, Alaves played at home in La Liga against Valencia, who have since confirmed around 35 per cent of the club have tested positive for the virus including first-team players Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala.

On Saturday, former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died age 76 at a hospital in the Spanish capital after contracting the virus.