Bundesliga given nod to resume
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders yesterday gave the Bundesliga the green light to restart behind closed doors from mid-May after weeks of shutdown imposed to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The political blessing makes the German top-flight the first of Europe’s five major leagues to return to the field.
“Matches will be allowed under the approved rules,” Merkel told a press conference in Berlin, referring to a plan by the German football league, or DFL, for the Bundesliga to resume in empty stadiums and with players regularly tested.
Permission was granted on condition that strict guidelines are followed — with a hygiene officer appointed to each team — to prevent contagion of the virus.
The DFL must now set a date for the restart with either the weekend of May 16-17 or the following weekend earmarked.
Representatives from the clubs will finalize those details in a videoconference today.
With 13 of the 36 teams in Germany’s top two divisions reportedly on the brink of bankruptcy, the league desperately needs to claim around 300 million euros (US$325 million) from TV contracts if the season is completed.
The season was suspended in midMarch. The DFL has long urged restarting play, which it says is vital for a sector that employs 56,000 people in Germany.
Teams returned to training on April 6 although sessions have followed stringent social distancing rules and players are not allowed to change at training grounds.
The league says its intensive testing plan allows matches to be relaunched with low risk to health.
So far, clubs in the top two divisions have returned 10 positive results for coronavirus from 1,724 tests since training resumed.
Three of the cases are known to be from FC Cologne and two from Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Health Minister Jens Spahn has argued that the testing regime “makes sense and can serve as an example for other forms of professional sport,” although he warned “it has to be lived up to.”
The league and politicians reacted with consternation when Hertha Berlin player Salomon Kalou filmed himself shaking hands with teammates this week, flaunting the social distancing rules that clubs have put in place. “The video has done the German league and professional football a disservice,” Anja Stahmann, who chairs Germany’s regional sports ministers, told RBB radio yesterday.
Hertha has suspended Kalou, and the 34-year-old former Chelsea player has apologized profusely.
Bayern Munich, seeking its eighth consecutive title, was four points clear at the top of the table when play was halted.
Leagues across Europe are taking different approaches to the unprecedented crisis.
The French league announced last week it will not resume the Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 seasons, with Paris Saint-Germain being awarded the top-flight title.
The Netherlands abandoned its season a week earlier.
The English Premier League, Europe’s richest league, has said it aims to restart in June, but deep differences have emerged over plans to use neutral stadiums.
Players in Italy’s Serie A returned to training this week while the Serbian and Turkish leagues have also announced plans for matches to resume.
In Spain, players returned to their team’s training camps yesterday for the first time since the country entered a lockdown nearly two months ago.
Players for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and other clubs started preparing for the return to training this week. They were all expected to be tested for COVID-19 and should be cleared to practice once the results are back. Most clubs are expected to resume practicing by the end of the week.
The majority of players did not wear masks or gloves when they arrived, according to Spanish media. Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez were among those without masks when they drove into Barcelona’s training center. Antoine Griezmann, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic did wear masks. Sergi Roberto arrived without a mask but had one on when he left.
Real Madrid players Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema arrived without masks, as did most of their teammates.
Atletico posted some photos of its players arriving for tests wearing gloves and masks.
The league wants a training period of about a month before it can restart. It hopes to resume sometime in June with games without fans.
(Agencies)