MADRID • Fans will not be able to attend Spanish La Liga matches when the season resumes next Thursday for sporting reasons rather than safety concerns, Junior Sports Minister Irene Lozano has said.

The country's health ministry is examining the risks of fans attending matches in regions where there are low risks of infection. Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez said he hoped spectators could attend his second-tier side's matches in the Canary Islands where the virus is less prevalent.

But Ms Lozano said that would create an unfair advantage as some teams would be backed by supporters while others in regions with a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 would have to play their home matches without fans.

"Right now, it's impossible to have fans in the stadiums for sporting reasons," she told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser yesterday.

"We have to respect the integrity of the competition. La Liga is a national competition and we made a big effort to ensure teams trained in the same conditions.

"Until all provinces are in the same phase of de-escalation, it's impossible to have matches with crowds."

Ms Lozano did, however, leave the door open to supporters returning once Spain's state of emergency, which the government is seeking to extend until June 21, is over.

"It's important to not cause confusion. The agreement we made with La Liga was to restart the season behind closed doors," she said.

"If in exceptional circumstances, we could go down a different path, then we will look into it."

Criticising Ramirez for stirring the pot, she added: "The president of Las Palmas spoke about this on his own volition.

"A competition is a collaboration between many people and it's vital that everyone works together. If everyone starts inventing new ideas and rules, then the product is not good."

Health emergency coordinator Fernando Simon agreed with Ms Lozano that it would not be fair if some stadiums had fans and others did not. But authorities would look into the issue once all regions enter Phase Three, which represents Spain's "new normality" whereby a vaccine or suitable treatment is discovered.

Madrid and Barcelona, the country's two most populous areas, have requested to move to Phase Two, a decision that should be known by next Monday.

La Liga will recommence with the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis before a full round of fixtures that weekend.

REUTERS