Berlin (dpa) - The Bundesliga has made a start and is the first of the big football leagues to continue its season, which was interrupted by the corona pandemic.
The ball is rolling again in other countries - in Belgium and Scotland the season has now been finally stopped - as in France and the Netherlands.
ENGLAND: Since May 19, the Premier League teams have been able to train in small groups again - but without physical contact. The start of the English top league could be delayed by another week until June 19, according to media reports. Several professionals express safety concerns. National player Danny Rose criticized in the podcast "The Lockdown Tactics" that the professionals were treated "like guinea pigs or laboratory rats" to provide entertainment during the coronavirus pandemic. In 748 tests on Sunday and Monday there were six people who tested positive for Corona.
ITALY: After a long back and forth, the Italian government has given Serie A clubs permission to do group training. The football association FIGC spoke of a "decisive step on the way to restarting football in Italy". The date for the restart of Series A will be decided at a meeting on May 28th. The season can only continue on June 14 at the earliest. In future, the entire team in the league will have to be quarantined for 14 days if a player tests positive for the virus. The season is scheduled to end by August 20. The FIGC committee responsible set this deadline.
SPAIN: Since May 18, the teams in the Primera División have been able to train in groups of ten again. The restart is scheduled to take place on June 12, according to La Liga plans, under strict security requirements and before empty ranks. Should the season be canceled, the current standings should decide whether to participate in the Champions and Europa League.
Abandoned leagues:
FRANCE: Ligue 1 was the first of the top leagues to end the season on April 30th. Paris Saint-Germain, trained by Thomas Tuchel, was declared a master. The financial damage from the demolition is estimated at a total of 700 million euros.
SCOTLAND: The Scottish Premier League announced the early end of the season on May 18th. Celtic Glasgow are champions for the ninth time in a row ahead of city rivals Glasgow Rangers. Heart of Midlothian with his German trainer Daniel Stendel descends.
NETHERLANDS: The season in the Dutch Eredivisie has ended prematurely. There are no promotions, no relegations and no title holder.
BELGIUM: The season is not over in neighboring Belgium either. FC Bruges was declared a champion - for the 16th time in the club's history.
Other leagues:
In Estonia's first football league, the ball has been rolling again since May 19 after a two-month break. All players, coaches, referees and sports directors were tested on Covid-19 - according to the association, the approximately 350 tests were negative.
The first match in the Czech Republic is planned for May 23, Hungary will start with the cup semi-finals on the same day, the championship will resume on May 30. The Polish Ekstraklasa starts on May 29th. The restart in Austria is planned from June 2. In Switzerland, the professional clubs want to decide on the continuation on May 29.
Denmark starts on May 28 with a catch-up game, after which the champion is determined. In Sweden, the new season is scheduled to start on June 14th - even with an audience.
At the end of May the ball should roll again in Croatia and Serbia. Portugal, Turkey, Greece and Russia are planning to restart in June, but official approvals are still required in some cases.
