DFB Vice Bugar: "The 3rd league will definitely play"

Berlin (dpa) - The German Football Association absolutely wants to end the season in the 3rd league.

"The information is that the 3rd league will definitely play and that the safety and hygiene concept of the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga will be adopted," said Erwin Bugar, DFB vice president and president of the Northeast German Football Association, in the MDR.

The DFB match committee had previously dealt with the topic. However, several clubs are also calling for a season break due to the effects of the corona pandemic. On May 25, the DFB will hold an Extraordinary Bundestag on which a decision is to be made.

In the states of Thuringia (until May 25th) and Saxony-Anhalt (until May 27th), all competitions are prohibited until the end of the month. The teams are also different in training. And the strict hygiene concept of the 1st and 2nd league is difficult to implement by some clubs in the 3rd league. In order to finish the season by June 30th, as required by many clubs for contractual reasons, the restart would have to take place on May 23rd.

Bugar indicated "that maybe - which suggests that if one of the clubs does not want to play, that it could be punished with legal consequences". That would be point deductions or a game evaluation against the non-willing club. "That is only envisaged for the time being," added the DFB vice-president: "The 3rd league will definitely play to determine the participants in the promotion round to the 2nd league."

The 3rd league at the DFB