German soccer federation faces heavy losses

Spanish clubs allowed to train with groups of up to 14 players

Schalke’s Michael Gregoritsch, left, challenges for the ball with Augsburg’s Tin Jedvaj, center, and Augsburg’s goalkeeper Andrea Luthe, right, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Augsburg at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on May 24. Augsburg beat Schalke 3-0. The German Bundesliga becomes the world’s first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)

BERLIN, May 26, (AP): The German soccer federation says it faces heavy losses this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasurer Stephan Osnabrügge has presented figures to a general meeting showing a possible loss of nearly 77 million euros ($83 million) in the worst-case scenario. The deficit would be smaller if national-team games can resume in the second half of 2020.

Osnabrügge says that means the “deepest economic crisis” in the DFB’s history but that it is not facing insolvency.

In a meeting held over video conferencing the DFB ended the season for all junior competitions and for the women’s second division.

The DFB confirmed the men’s third division will resume Saturday despite objections from some clubs and state federations. The first and second divisions restarted earlier this month.

The top women’s league will resume Friday.

Spanish league clubs are allowed to train with groups of up to 14 players as the league stays on track to restart in less than three weeks.

Only 10 players were allowed in group training last week because of confinement restrictions that are gradually being lifted across the hard-hit nation where nearly 27,000 known people have died with COVID-19.