The president of the Spanish league, Javier Tebas, has told clubs they will be docked points for refusing to play matches once the ban on football has been lifted in Spain.
Tebas also said he would be prepared to give players written guarantees over their safety if and when the 2019-20 season kicks off again.
'When they give us the order to be able to play,' Tebas said. 'If there is a club who does not want to play, it will be treated as a no-show. First, three points will be deducted and then maybe more according to the rules.'
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Asked if he could specify if the government or the clubs were going to sign a guarantee, as some players have requested, specifying that there will be no risks for them training and playing again, he replied: 'I have no problem signing that as LaLiga'.
His statements demonstrate that Tebas remains determined to resume the season in Spain despite suffering another setback on Friday when it was revealed testing of all players, due to take place next Tuesday, ahead of a possible May 4 return to training, had been postponed.
According to El Mundo, LaLiga has purchased coronavirus tests from a German firm Synlab and wants to test players as soon as possible but the government's Sports Council cannot give the go-ahead until it is advised by the Department of Health to do so.
The back-tracking has been welcomed by the players whose union, AFE, have already made it clear they will only sanction a return to work when the country's health experts have confirmed it is safe to do so.
Tebas also said he would be prepared to give players written guarantees over their safety
Athletic Bilbao's Inaki Williams has said he is unwilling to play while people continue to die
Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams summed up the mood of many of the players when he said last week: 'I am not planning on playing again all the time there are still people dying from this.'
And Sevilla winger Suso told Radio Marca: 'My pregnant wife is due to give birth in six weeks. If I come to training, catch the virus, and then give it to her I would never be able to forgive myself. If there is a one per cent risk then I think it is best we did not continue [with the season].'
Tebas wants to eliminate that risk by having players, in effect, in quarantine – in team hotels or at their club's training facilities – while they train and play out the rest of the season.
He also wants regular testing and clubs had already put plans in place for players to drive to parking lots at training grounds next week, roll down their windows, and have samples taken that could then be laboratory-analysed in just five hours.
But testing players continues to be questioned on both practical and moral grounds.
Sevilla winger Suso (left) also expressed concerns about returning to action anytime soon
Tebas remains determined to resume the season despite player testing being postponed
Experienced Spanish coach Paco Jemez told El Mundo on Saturday: 'It would be irresponsible if football could offer these tests and yet they are not available to people who are risking their lives.'
When tests were originally sent to all 20 first division clubs at the start of the crisis by LaLiga, some clubs refused to use them and Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales said: 'It seems out of place to me that LaLiga is using the test on teams when there are people who need it more. It shows a lack of solidarity, and is even anti-patriotic.'
In his defence, Tebas has said football – in purchasing tests privately and trying to screen its workforce – is doing nothing more than other industries.
He said on Friday: 'We are not going to do anything different from other companies to ensure a safe return to work so that workers are not infected.'
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