Portuguese soccer set to restart amid worries

LISBON: Portuguese football will restart Wednesday after a long coronavirus shutdown but its resumption has been plagued by bickering over stadiums, plans to allow five substitutes and proposals to broadcast matches on free-to-air television.

The Primeira Liga will become the second leading European league to resume its season, following Germany’s Bundesliga, which returned last month with games behind closed doors and strict health measures. Similar medical protocols will apply in Portugal, where competition has been on hold since March 12, but unlike in Germany, certain recommendations were at odds with the interests of some clubs. Health authorities called for games to be staged “in the fewest number of stadiums possible”. Ultimately, 16 of the 18 top-flight clubs will play at their home ground.

The two exceptions are Santa Clara, a club based on the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, and Belenenses, who no longer play at their historic Belem home after a split with the club’s parent company. Both will instead use the national team’s training complex near Lisbon.

Adding to the rancour, Maritimo are blocking the league’s proposal to allow five substitutions -- up from the standard three -- to ease the physical strain on players. The club from the island of Madeira will, unlike Santa Clara, continue to play at home despite travel it entails.

Once this week’s games are completed, league president Pedro Proenca, a former international referee, is set to face his critics at a general assembly on Monday convening warring clubs.