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The German Bundesliga looks set to be the first of Europe’s big five leagues to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic after the federal government gave the go-ahead on Wednesday.
Clubs in the top two tiers of German football have been back in training since last month with a view to restarting the 2019-20 season in mid-May.
The leagues have been suspended since March 13 because of the coronavirus outbreak but will now aim to complete the remaining nine rounds without fans by June 30.
German chancellor Angela Merkel told regional authorities on Wednesday that competition could restart in the second half of the month. The 36 clubs will hold a conference call on Thursday to finalise a resumption date.
“The Bundesliga will be able to resume operations soon,” Merkel told a news conference on Wednesday.
An exact start date is yet to be announced but the clubs will hold a videoconference on Thursday when the schedule is set to be discussed, possibly from May 15 onwards.
(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A government statement also said teams would have to go into quarantined training camps ahead of the restart.
Christian Seifert, the managing director of the German Football League (DFL), said: “Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga.
“It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organisational requirements in a disciplined manner.
“Games behind closed doors are not an ideal solution for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form.”
Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told his club’s official website: “We are now looking forward to resuming play, ideally from mid-May.”
Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke also welcomed the decision but lamented having to play without fans.
“Having to play in front of empty stands is an enormous challenge, especially for a club like Dortmund, which draws a lot of strength from the passion of its fans in the stadium,” he said in a statement after the government announcement.
“(But) it would not have been economically viable for the clubs to let the Bundesliga to stay suspended until spectators were allowed to return to the stadiums.”
German clubs are conducting regular tests on all staff connected to the 36 clubs in the top two divisions.
Bayern Munich, chasing an eighth successive title, currently lead the table with 55 points from 25 games, four ahead of Dortmund with RB Leipzig third on 50.
© AAP
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