Stopped since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga is ready to resume on May 9. Provided of course that the authorities give the green light.
The Bundesliga, for example, is the first of the major European championships to enter a recovery schedule without spectators.
“If we can play on May 9, we will be ready,” said German League President Christian Seifert. German political and health officials are expected to decide whether to resume the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga championships on April 30.
A maximum of 300 people may be present at the stadium during these closed-door meetings. All players will be tested at least once a week. The DFL claims to have obtained the necessary guarantees from the laboratories so that these tests can be carried out at such a sustained pace.
In addition, the DFL has reached an agreement with “almost all” the television rights holders. The payments due are assured even if the championships should not finally resume. A sum of 300 million euros has been advanced to quantify the amount of these payments.
If Germany is less destabilized than some European neighbors by the pandemic, large popular gatherings remain prohibited until at least August 31. Health Minister Jens Spahn nevertheless considered that behind closed doors and with adequate “precautions”, football matches could undoubtedly be “possible”.
The idea of this recovery had received a positive reception from the big cars of the championship, from Bayern (1st in the standings before the interruption) to Dortmund via RB Leipzig, while the Bundesliga players resumed training in early April , in small groups. Conversely, several groups of supporters said they disapproved of this scenario, preferring a final cessation of the championship to holding matches in front of empty stands.
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