LaLiga’s return to action mirrors a ‘new normal’ in Football
- LaLiga resumed on Thursday night with Sevilla vs Real Betis
- Virtual fan noises were played during the match
- Premier League planning return on June 17, while Serie-A set to resume on June 20, Bundesliga resumed in May 16
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
LaLiga resumed on Friday evening with some deserved action and excitement.
To kick off the resumption was Derbi Sevillano – Sevilla vs Real Betis, and the match provided ample excitement.
Sporting events were thrown into an unprecedented halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. While several events such as the Olympics and Euro 2020 were canceled, most sporting events took a break.
Gradually, the sporting world has witnessed sporting events back – UFC fights held behind closed doors and Bundesliga heading to back to its fourth week in action.
While the Premier League and Serie-A are a couple of days away from resumption, LaLiga was back on Friday evening.
Football’s ‘New Normal’
Health and safety guidelines have been set with leagues asked to maintain and observe them. While in several instances the leagues and the players have been able to observe the said measures, many a times, the rules have been flouted ‘in the spirit of the game’.
Germany and all over the world have debated the level of involvement that artifical noise should have, LaLiga appeared to have struck the perfect middle ground.
Virtual crowds blending in nicely and crowd noises providing an excellent atmosphere for a game that usually has no trouble producing a raucous and colorful ambiance.
Social distancing measures were in place behind the closed doors of the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, which were however quickly forgotten when Sevilla scored.
The impressive wide shots employed particularly during the water breaks in each half served to demonstrate what LaLiga had sought to create in partnership with Norwegian company VIZRT.
The images of seated fans wearing the colours of the home club were visibly seen beyond the pitch and convincingly created the illusion that more than 40,000 fans were intently watching proceedings unfold.
Premier League and Serie-A are planning a resumption in the coming weeks and LaLiga provided a glimpse of what awaits when football resumes.
