Victor Orta identifies league that could provide key indicator to when Leeds United return

LEEDS UNITED'S director of football Victor Orta believes Germany will provide the clearest indication of when the professional game in England restarts.
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Orta's Whites have seen their Championship promotion push halted due to the country's battle against coronavirus which has the EFL season suspended amidst the nation's strict social distancing measures.

The UK will remain on lockdown until at least May 7 but the EFL have already stated their intention to fulfil all remaining fixtures in a 56-day time-frame during the summer months.

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The EFL have also suggested May 16 as a possible date for clubs to resume training.

POINTER: From Leeds United's director of football Victor Orta. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.POINTER: From Leeds United's director of football Victor Orta. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.
POINTER: From Leeds United's director of football Victor Orta. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.

In the meantime, other leagues across Europe are looking at various different solutions with UEFA set to discuss options again at another video conference held on Tuesday.

Speaking to Speaking to Spanish news agency EFE, Orta highlighted the resumption of German football as likely key indicator as to what would happen in England and when.

Germany are looking to resume action in their top two divisions on May 9 with "ghost matches" behind closed doors though the final decision will rest with their government.

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"Germany will be key for the restart, which is what they ask me the most,” said Orta.

"Germany will mark the rest of us. If they start and nothing happens, the rest of us will have the courage to return.”

Orta also admitted that salaries and transfer fees would not to be altered as part of a football "reset" due to the long break in play amidst the battle against COVID-19.

Leeds acted very quickly on March 26 as players, coaching staff and senior management all took a voluntary wage deferral for the foreseeable future.

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The move was taken to ensure hundreds of non-football staff at Elland Road and Thorp Arch can be paid and also to safeguard the business.

Orta said: “In the medium term, we have been moving towards budgets where player salaries were between 65, 75 and 80 per cent and it has been shown any type of incident clearly blocks the business model.

"There has to be a reset.

“Not only does it have to affect the salaries of the players, but also the prices of transfers to the club cost, to find another business model within which it cannot be that it stops two months and there is a catharsis of this style.

"We are all trying to become stronger now,.

“We are going to get to know a different kind of football, not only at the football level, but also globally.

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“And we still have to start loving and admiring that world, what we have lived before is going to be different; not better or worse, different.

“What you have to do now is to fall in love with the new football, with the new society; of a new world.”

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