By Daily Sports on April 17, 2020

The Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] plan to award qualification to next season's Champions League and Europa League based on the current standings if La Liga cannot be completed, a source has confirmed to ESPN.

Atletico Madrid would be the big losers in that scenario, with Diego Simeone’s side sitting sixth in the table when the coronavirus pandemic saw the league suspended indefinitely with 11 games to go.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad would all qualify for the Champions League, while Atletico would join Getafe in the Europa League.

Getafe have won at Real Sociedad, but because they still have to play them at home they sit out of the Champions League places on goals scored (with goal difference identical).

The third and final Europa League spot, if the Copa del Rey final cannot be played, would be taken by the highest-placed finalist not in the top six. That would be Athletic Bilbao, with Real Sociedad fourth in the table.

In the event the league is able to restart but is then unable to be finished, the standings at the time of the suspension of the league would be used to decide European qualification.

If the season cannot be resumed and is cancelled, one of the major talking points among the European Club Association (ECA) and UEFA is how to decide who would qualify for European competitions next season.

Earlier this month, UEFA postponed deadlines related to all 2020-21 UEFA club competitions until further notice, in particular with regards to the admission process.

A number of ideas have been floated, including using the final standings from 2018-19, although sources at both UEFA and La Liga stress the emphasis remains on finishing the campaign.

For that reason, the RFEF’s proposal has not been well-received by La Liga. The two have a long history of political differences, but in this case, the RFEF has the authority to make the final decision. A league source said they cannot understand why the RFEF would approve a list of clubs for UEFA without reaching a point where the competition has to be cancelled – especially when they are under no time pressure to do so. (ESPN)

•PHOTO: La Liga players 

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 17, 2020

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