Germany’s Bundesliga will become the first of Europe’s top football leagues to kick off post the coronavirus stoppage after Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of the German federal states said that it can resume from mid-May.
The government said the Bundesliga and second-tier 2. Bundesliga could restart without spectators, adding the German football league (DFL) would decide on the exact dates.
She further said that the regional authorities will have to draw up a plan to reimpose measures for any county that reports 50 new cases for every 100,000 inhabitants within a week. Those restrictions could be applied only to a facility such as a nursing home, if the outbreak is concentrated there, or to the whole area. The aim is to avoid reimposing a shutdown nationwide.
DFL CEO Christian Seifert said: “Today’s decision is good news for Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organisational requirements in a disciplined manner. Matches without stadium spectators are not an ideal solution for anyone. However, during this crisis, which threatens the existence of some clubs, it is the only option to preserve the leagues in their present form. Today I’d like to thank the decision-makers at the state and federal level for placing their confidence in us”.
