Stadiums

Spectators are unlikely to be able to return to football stadiums until next year at the earliest due to the continued threat of the novel coronavirus, according to Jaume Roures, the head of Spanish media company Mediapro which broadcasts LaLiga. 

Roures, whose company also manages the international broadcasting rights for the Spanish top flight and broadcasts the Champions League, also predicts the end of colossal transfer fees for players due to the pandemic. 

Last month's Rhine Derby between Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Koln should've been a high-spirited event. Instead, it was played in an eerily quiet, empty stadium as the Bundesliga played out its first game behind closed doors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Now, the DFB (German FA) says playing in empty stadiums is the only way the competition could resume next month.

Major League Soccer will not return until at least June 8, according to multiple reports. The timetable is in line with the latest official word from MLS, which was confirmation that a hoped for mid-May return would not happen due to the ongoing restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. 

Commissioner Don Garber said MLS remains focused on getting in as many games as possible. Garber expanded the league's guidelines prohibiting group workouts, which initially stretched to April 24. 

Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium will be used as a makeshift storage facility as Spain faces an uphill battle against the coronavirus, the club announced on Thursday in conjunction with the country's Superior Sports Council. 

Spain is second only to Italy in numbers of deaths due to the virus, with the toll passing 4,000 on Thursday. Over 56,000 people have so far tested positive for the coronavirus in the country. The lockdown in Spain is expected to be extended once the initial 15-day measure is completed this weekend. 

Players have accepted that playing games in closed stadiums might be the only way to complete the English domestic league season, Bobby Barnes, deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), has said. 

Wayne Rooney has criticized England's football authorities over how long they took to suspend matches in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying it felt like players were being treated like "guinea pigs.” 

The Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and men and women's FA Cup competitions were suspended on Friday following an emergency meeting sparked by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus a day earlier. 

With the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic and the United States confirming more than 1,000 cases of infection, Major League Soccer is set to announce a suspension of play until further notice to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump has also announced that the U.S. is temporarily suspending most travel from Europe, including 26 different countries for 30 days, in an effort to combat the virus.