Bundesliga Set to Resume Season by Mid-May After Government Approval

Germany’s top-flight football competition Bundesliga is set to resume this month after chancellor Angela Merkel gave her approval. The government has said that Bundesliga and second-tier 2. Bundesliga can resume by the second half of May in empty stadiums.

Bundesliga, thus, will become the first major football competition in Europe to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the footballers and staff will not have to observe quarantine period of 14 days as the clubs have the facility for regular testing.

DFL chief executive Christian Seifert welcomed the decision.

“Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the 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,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN.

“Games without spectators 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,” he added.

Minister President of Bavaria Markus Söder said while the decision is ‘very controversial’, he said it’s the responsibility of the clubs and players to adhere to the regulations.

“We have agreed sensibly. We know that it is very controversial. I know that those responsible in the clubs will do everything possible to comply with the regulations. But the players must also adhere to it,” he said.

All Bundesliga clubs have nine matches left in the ongoing campaign barring Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen who have 10 games each. Bayern Munich lead the season, ahead of rivals Borrusia Dortmund by four points.

Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the green light from the government was an important step and that football will make ‘weekends easier’ for everyone during the ongoing health crisis.

“FC Bayern feels great gratitude, satisfaction and a feeling of happiness. We’ve worked long and hard for this. With the green light from the politicians, we have the requirements to restart the league. That is an important step for the Bundesliga,” he said.

“The Bavarian prime minister Markus Söder said that a weekend with Bundesliga is much more bearable than a weekend without. That sentence tells everything. We know, football isn’t systemically important. But football has a meaning for society. When we start playing in the middle of May, those weekends will be easier for everyone,” he added.

Bundesliga’s General Assembly is to be held in Frankfurt on Thursday to discuss health and safety protocols and fix a date for resumption.