Bundesliga to resume, step in the unknown

BERLIN: Bundesliga clubs were racing Thursday to get ready for the restart of the season in nine days’ time (May 16), amid concerns about whether the players will stick to the hygiene guidelines implemented to ensure the campaign is completed. All games will be played without spectators. The opening day’s key game is between second-placed Borussia Dortmund and arch-rivals Schalke in the Ruhr derby at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park —but instead of being roared on by an 81,000 crowd, the teams will play in an empty stadium.

On Thursday, Dortmund, who were four points behind leaders Bayern Munich when the league was halted, held full training after seven weeks. The Bundesliga wants to complete the last nine rounds before June 30 to secure 300m euros in TV money.

However, it is a step into the unknown. “One must not forget, we are in a situation that we do not know,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

The worry is that an outbreak of the coronavirus in the league could again halt the resumed season, this time for good. AFP