Bundesliga clubs on ‘probation,’ warns DFL chief Seifert
BERLIN: The head of the German football League (DFL) has warned clubs they are “on probation” and must implement strict hygiene measures when the Bundesliga restarts next weekend.
Professional football in Germany had been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Everyone must be clear: we are playing on probation,” DFL CEO Christian Seifert said on Thursday ahead of the league’s return on May 16.
“I expect everyone to live up to their responsibilities.”
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund hosting arch-rivals Schalke in the Ruhr derby is the pick of the first matches next Saturday.
Defending champions and current leaders Bayern Munich, who sit four points clear of Dortmund, will travel to face Union Berlin next Sunday.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel granted permission for football to return behind closed doors, providing the league sticks to its plan for regular testing of players and backroom staff.
Seifert said Germany could pave the way for other countries, with leagues in England, Spain and Italy still suspended, while France has already ended the Ligue 1 season.
“This concept can be a blueprint for everyone,” he said.
Teams must be quarantined for seven days before the restart, with the season scheduled to finish on the final weekend of June.
LIVE ON PPTV
PPTV (36) will show live two Bundesliga matches next weekend, the station said yesterday.
It will broadcast Dortmund’s home game against Schalke on May 16, and Bayern Munich’s match at Union Berlin the following day.
KLOSE JOINS BAYERN
World Cup record scorer Miroslav Klose has signed a one-year contract to become Bayern Munich assistant coach under head coach Hansi Flick from next season, the Bundesliga champions said.
Klose, who scored a record 16 World Cup goals and won the trophy with Germany in 2014, has been a youth coach at Bayern for the past two years since retiring as player in 2016.
“We have known each other very well since our time in the national team and we trust each other both professionally and personally,” Klose, 41, said in a club statement.
“For me this is the next step in my career as a coach.”
Flick was assistant coach when Germany won the World Cup six year ago and Klose got his record.