Bundesliga gets green light to start

FOOTBALL: The German Bundesliga looks set to be the first of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic after the federal government gave the go-ahead on Wednesday.

Clubs in the top two tiers of German football have been back in training since last month with a view to restarting the 2019-20 season in May.

German chancellor Angela Merkel told regional authorities on Wednesday that competition could restart in the second half of May. The 36 clubs will hold a conference call on Thursday to finalise a resumption date.

Christian Seifert, the managing director of the German Football League (DFL) said: “Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga.

“It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organisational requirements in a disciplined manner.

“Games behind closed doors are not an ideal solution for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form.

“On this day, I would like to thank the political decisionmakers from the federal and state governments for their trust.”

Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “We are now looking forward to resuming play, ideally from mid-May. This ensures that the sporting decisions are made on the pitch and not in the boardroom.

“I would like to expressly thank the DFL and the medicine task force for the excellent organisational and medical plans. I appeal to everyone involved to follow the guidelines in these plans, which are the basis for resuming play, in an exemplary and disciplined manner.”

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said: “”We’re very pleased that the people in Germany - and, from a regional point of view, the people in Dortmund and the surrounding area - have conducted themselves so magnificently in recent weeks that the spread of the pandemic could at least be contained.”