La Liga gets government clearance to resume play as of June 8

La Liga has been given approval by the Spanish government to resume play as early as June 8.

La Liga is one step closer to getting back on the field. The Spanish government has approved the top two flights of Spanish soccer to return as of June 8.

“The Spanish government has given the green light for the return of professional sport … as of June 8th, following guidelines from the Ministry of Health,” La Liga tweeted on Saturday morning.

In a speech on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, via beIN SPORTS, “Spain has done what it should and now new horizons are opening for everyone. The time has come to resume many daily activities. From June 8 LaLiga will return.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas tweeted that they are “very pleased with the decision.”

ESPN reports that “a specific date will be announced in the coming days, with June 12 remaining their target to restart the 2019-20 season. … The league’s preferred option has been June 12, with the derby between Sevilla and Real Betis expected to be the first game played.”

Teams have been back in small group training since early May, but will now ramp up to full training over the coming weeks. Matches, as elsewhere in the world, will be played without fans.

The league has been on hold since Real Sociedad beat Eibar behind closed doors on March 10. In the days after that match, Spain declared a national state of emergency, shutting down the league.

Barcelona lead the table on 58 points through 27 matches, holding a slim two-point lead over rivals Real Madrid (56 pts.).

Mallorca (18th), Leganes (19th) and Espanyol (20th) currently sit in the relegation places, with Celta Vigo, Eibar and Valladolid all within four points of the drop zone.

La Liga’s return will follow the German Bundesliga which got back on the field last weekend, giving a roadmap for other leagues to follow.