German Bundesliga To Return On May 9
The German Bundesliga could be the first European league to return to action since the Coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to the various leagues across the country.
The CEO of Germany’s top-flight, Christian Seifert said the league could be back as soon as May 9. It is said that the government has to give a nod however before an official decision is reached.
Representatives of the 36 teams making the top two divisions in German football decided on the date on Thursday, with the majority insisting that the season was finished.
The league could resume soon but not without rigorous testing of majority of the players. Also, all matches will be played behind closed doors. There will also be regular deep cleaning of the stadiums.
The Bundesliga CEO Seifert said to the press:
“The Bundesliga is ready to resume, no matter whether it’s on May 9 or a later date. But it’s not up to us to find a date. The political decision makers decide.
“We have not defined an exact date today. The fact that we are even able to think about resuming games underlines the performance of the German authorities.
“It would be presumptuous for the DFL to name an exact date for the restart.”
Questions were then asked of Seifert whether or not the resumption could put an unnecessary strain on medical authorities in terms of personal protection and testing equipment. The Bundesliga CEO replied: “Professional football would not even consume 0.4 percent of the available testing capacity in the country.”
The Bundesliga is reportedly in talks with five laboratories to ensure sufficient safety measures are put in place for rigours testing of all players.
The women’s Bundesliga and third tier of the Bundesliga aren’t likely to return anytime soon though.
