Clubs gear up for Bundesliga restart in nine days' time

Bundesliga clubs were racing Thursday to get ready for the restart of the season in nine days' time, amid concerns about whether the players will stick to the strict hygiene guidelines implemented to ensure the campaign is completed.

Twenty-four hours after Chancellor Angela Merkel's government gave the German Football League the green light to return, the league said it will resume the season on Saturday, May 16.

The Bundesliga will be the first top European football league to restart matches since the outbreak of the coronavirus forced lockdown measures to be imposed across the continent.

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.

France has already ended the Ligue 1 season, with football in England, Spain and Italy still suspended.

The situation