Frankfurt / Main (dpa) – The dates have already been fixed, political permission is still missing: The German Football Association (DFB) has published its new outline schedule in the current corona crisis and plans to continue the controversial one in May 3rd league continue.
Subject to approval by the federal and state governments, it should start again on May 26th before the remaining eleven match days in five English weeks are to be played through June 30th.
The women’s Bundesliga will also start again from May 29 to complete the six remaining game days by the end of June. The big season finale – this time without spectators – should also be the final of the DFB Cup in 2020, which is planned for July 4 in Berlin. The women’s cup final will also take place on this date, but – as initially planned – in Cologne.
Association president Fritz Keller commented: “Our plans are in full swing so that we can finish the cup season on the grass appropriately. There is much to suggest that we will experience “living room finals” for the first time, that is, games without an audience in the stadium. ” Defending champions FC Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, fourth division club 1. FC Saarbrücken and Bayer Leverkusen are still represented, and the four clubs will play their semi-finals on 9 and 10 June.
The end of the season in the 3rd league should be much more difficult for the DFB. Eleven match days are to be played at record speed in less than six weeks, although almost half of all clubs voted for an early termination of the season. Even earlier than expected and with an English week, the game will resume after a two-month Corona break, as the DFB Presidium decided at a meeting on Monday. The two relegation games between the third place in the 3rd league and the table 16. According to current plans, the 2nd Bundesliga would join by July 7th.
«The 3rd league is concentrating on a possible continuation of the season and its maintenance as a professional league. We would be happy to be able to start playing again in May. It should always be our basic principle that the sporting decisions are made on the field and not on the green table, »said Tom Eilers, chairman of the third division committee.
Scheduled deviations, for example due to team quarantines, are still possible. July 4th is also saved as a potential catch-up game day for the 3rd division. In this case, the relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga would not be played out until July 7th and 11th. A single two-week group quarantine – as is currently the case with the second division club Dynamo Dresden – would completely ruin the tightly timed schedule.
The DFB has an almost identical hygiene concept to the German Football League, which had already received political approval for the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga last week. President Keller firmly believes that this will now also happen for the Cup, 3rd League and Women’s Bundesliga. He was “very confident” that politicians would release the DFB competitions in a timely manner.
However, the time until the restart will be anything but quiet. Several clubs complain that the hygiene concept cannot be implemented. The clubs would have to hire their own hygiene officer, something that Waldhof Mannheim and FSV Zwickau, for example, have not been able to do so far.
In addition, the DFB’s plan to allow neutral venues, should some stadiums be closed, causes resentment. That is why Mannheim’s managing director Markus Kompp asked the association to vote among the clubs. «I requested a new vote. I do not see that the DFB wants to continue the season on the basis of an outdated opinion, but under new framework conditions, keyword neutral venue, »said Kompp of the German press agency.
There is more unity and cushion for the continuation of the women’s Bundesliga. The chairman of the DFB committee for women’s national leagues, Siegfried Dietrich, therefore welcomes the planned restart at the end of May: «As there are gradually clear easing in many areas of social life, I also keep it going after the starting shot for the DFL leagues the aspect of equality is appropriate, so that the ball can roll again in the women’s Bundesliga under certain conditions. »
– .
