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Bundesliga Given Go-Ahead To Return
The German Bundesliga is set to become the first league in Europe to return to action amid the coronavirus outbreak.
A meeting involving the German chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers gave the green light for the DFL, the league’s governing body, to schedule the restart of the season from 16 May at the earliest.
The 36 clubs in the country’s top two divisions will conduct a meeting via video link on Thursday to discuss when to restart.
Bayern Munich’s chief executive, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, is keen to kick off again as soon as possible, with his club four points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.
“We are now looking forward to resuming play, ideally from mid-May. This ensures that the sporting decisions are made on the pitch and not in the boardroom,” Rummenigge said.
“I would like to expressly thank the DFL and the medicine task force for the excellent organisational and medical plans. I appeal to everyone involved to follow the guidelines in these plans, which are the basis for resuming play, in an exemplary and disciplined manner.”
German clubs have been training for a month amid Covid-19 testing. Players will continue to be tested and teams will have to spend time in quarantine before games can restart.
Christian Seifert, the managing director of the German Football League (DFL), said: “Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the 2nd 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. On this day, I would like to thank the political decision-makers from the federal and state governments for their trust.”
/Stewart Sports news editor
