BARCELONA (Spain): Argentine star Lionel Messi said it’s pointless to think too much about the risk of being infected by the coronavirus as the Spanish clubs step up their return to activity.
“There’s a risk of infection everywhere, when you leave your house there’s a risk, so I think we shouldn’t think too much about it because if you do you won’t want to go anywhere,” Messi told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo on Friday.
“But we must understand that it’s essential we comply with the protocols and follow the prevention measures as much as we can. Returning to training is the first step but we shouldn’t get complacent and we must take all precautions necessary.”
Messi and his Barcelona team-mates have been back at the club’s training ground conducting individual sessions since last week, following La Liga’s four-phase protocol for returning to activity since it was halted in March due to the pandemic.
All 11 remaining rounds of fixtures in La Liga will take place without spectators, with President Javier Tebas saying last week that matches could start as soon as June 12.
“Personally I’m looking forward to the competition returning. We know it’s going to all be very strange, without anyone in the stands, I’ve done it before and I found it out,” said the Barca captain.
“With regards to being quarantined, the truth is we don’t like the idea of being separated from our families at all but we’ll have to see what the final plan is.”
“This crisis has had a profound impact on all of us. The return of football is a sign that society is progressing towards the new normal. It will also bring back an element of life that people in Spain and around the world know and love,” La Liga president Javier Tebas said last week.
