The German football championship, shutdown since mid-March because of the new coronavirus pandemic, is "ready" to resume on May 9, if the German authorities give the green light, the president announced Thursday of the League (DFL) Christian Seifert. The Bundesliga is the first of the major European championships, all stopped since mid-March, to set up a recovery schedule, without spectators, compatible with the will of the European Football Union (UEFA) to end the national championships and complete the European Club Cups this summer.
Even if Italy postponed Thursday to August 2 a possible resumption of Serie A, this announcement, which was expected, could show the way for the other leading championships in Europe, torn between health requirements and the need to complete the season to collect the juicy television rights necessary for their financial balanceThe DFL said Thursday by the voice of its president to have obtained guarantees for the payment of television rights, an estimated value of 300 million euros, thus ensuring liquidity professional clubs until June 30.
The will to compete for the remaining nine days was acted on Thursday during a meeting by videoconference between representatives of the 36 clubs of first and second divisions. This decision remains however suspended with the agreement of the political leaders. Two of the main leaders of the German Länder, the conservatives Armin Laschet and Markus Söder, had partly sold the match Monday evening by giving the date of May 9 for a resumption of the matches without public.
German health minister not opposed to possible takeover
If Germany is less destabilized than some European neighbors by the pandemic, large popular gatherings remain prohibited until at least August 31. Health Minister Jens Spahn nevertheless considered that behind closed doors and with adequate "precautions", football matches could undoubtedly be "possible".
The idea of this recovery had received a positive reception from the big cars of the championship, from Bayern (1st in the standings before the interruption) to Dortmund via RB Leipzig, while the Bundesliga players resumed training in early April , in small groups. Conversely, several groups of supporters said they disapproved of this scenario, preferring a final cessation of the championship to holding matches in front of empty stands.
To renew the thread of the season, the clubs and the German League will nevertheless have to take sanitary measures to avoid any contagion between players or with the dozens of people present in the stadium during a meeting behind closed doors. Sports authorities have notably indicated that players and members of coaching staff should be tested every three days. They estimate at 20,000 the number of tests necessary to ensure that future meetings are safe, a use far from being unanimous, especially in the medical community.
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