La Liga has announced it will donate five tonnes of disinfectant gel to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
League officials invited Chinese Super League team Wuhan Zall FC to their headquarters in Madrid on Sunday as a show of solidarity.
“We wanted to have this symbolic gesture to express and share all of our support and courage to the Chinese people, especially that of Wuhan, just as the rest of the other countries that are being affected,” La Liga’s director of business and development Oscar Mayo said.
Wuhan FC, coached by Jose Manuel Gonzalez Lopez, arrived in Spain in January for preseason training, but he and the team have been unable to return to China.
“The team is eager to return to Wuhan so that, through football, we are able to do one’s bit to recover the spirit following this health crisis,” Gonzalez said.
La Liga outfit Espanyol, owned by China’s Rastar Group, donated 450,000 masks last month to China while Real Madrid and Barcelona have also displayed their support after the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The Wuhan FC team attended Sunday’s Clasico between Madrid and Barcelona at the Bernabeu after being invited by both La Liga and Madrid.
The Chinese Super League side will also be given a tour of the Madrid’s stadium on Monday.