Europe

Spain coach Luis Enrique is no fan of playing matches without spectators as leagues begin to return in empty stadiums after being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Playing matches without supporters is sadder than dancing with your sister," Luis Enrique said in an interview for Spanish basketball show Colgados del Aro.

Last weekend the Bundesliga became the first major European league to resume action and players were unable to celebrate goals together to reduce the risk of infection while stadiums normally packed with boisterous supporters were left bare.

LaLiga will use a video analysis program to help it determine if a player is likely to have infected a teammate or opponent if they test positive for the coronavirus once the season re-starts, according to a draft protocol drawn up by the league.

The protocol, seen by Reuters, was sent out to clubs in Spain's top two divisions on Monday and is an updated version of the document clubs received earlier this month.

LONDON — The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set aside three days in June to hear Manchester City's appeal against a two-year ban from European competition for breaching fair play rules.

Updated listings posted on the CAS website on Tuesday set a June 8-10 date.

European soccer's governing body UEFA imposed the ban in February for "serious breaches" of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

The Premier League said on Tuesday that six people from three different clubs had tested positive for COVID-19 out of a sample of 748 individuals.

The novel coronavirus tests were taken on Sunday and Monday ahead of the return to small group training.

"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days," the league said in a statement.

"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.

TURIN — Five-times World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Serie A champions Juventus for training on Tuesday after an absence of 72 days that included the last two weeks in quarantine.

The 35-year-old was filmed arriving at the Turin club's Continassa training ground in a black car and was due to undergo a medical before joining coach Maurizio Sarri and his teammates.

Premier League clubs will return to training on Tuesday after agreeing to allow "small group" sessions to begin, with a possible return to normal 'contact' training next week. 

The league held a conference call for all 20 clubs on Monday where the move was given unanimous backing but there remains no firm date for the season to resume. Another meeting is scheduled for early next week when the league will decide on whether to move to the second phase which allows for training involving contact. 

Bayer Leverkusen thrashed Werder Bremen 4-1 on Monday in a match that showcased exactly why Leverkusen could be playing in the Champions League next season while Werder’s 40-year stay in the top division is almost certainly at an end.

In the midst of completing a four-month ban from football for breaching betting rules, Daniel Sturridge is now being linked with Inter Miami and DC United in MLS.

The 30-year-old English striker is “serving” his ban until June 17, but the world works in mysterious ways and Sturridge will end up not missing much football during his time away. After his contract was terminated with Trabzonspor back in March, he became a free agent.

At a time when the only thing people have to do is stay home and do nothing, Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi managed to get arrested at three in the morning Sunday on suspicion of rape.

The police and an ambulance were called to Hudson-Odoi’s apartment in West London at 3:35 a.m. Sunday morning after a report of an unwell woman, according to a police spokesman.

After beginning individual training at club facilities earlier this month, Spain moved one step closer to the resumption of LaLiga and Segunda División play after teams began training in groups of up to 10 players on Monday.

According to LaLiga president Javier Tebas, the league is still hoping to return to action on June 12, but clubs will need the approval of the government’s department of health before advancing from small groups to full training.

Regardless, Tebas said that LaLiga has taken inspiration from Germany’s successful return to the pitch.