THE Bundesliga is set to be Europe’s first football league to resume matches after being suspended due to coronavirus.
Here is all you need to know as German football’s returns inches closer.
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The Bundesliga is set to be the first European league to return after being paused due to coronavirusCredit: Getty Images – Getty
What date will the Bundesliga return?
The Bundesliga does not have a specific return date, but CEO Christian Seifert has told the New York Times that he hopes matches to return at some point in May.
The league would then aim to be completed by the end of June – in time for Germany to nominate its contestants for next year’s European competitions.
To this end, teams in the top two divisions have already returned to training in groups of five.
But a return in early May is looking unlikely after government talks on the resumption of football were pushed back to at least April 30.
Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Germany’s 16 minister presidents on Wednesday April 15 regarding the future of the fight against coronavirus in Germany.
“The Bundesliga was not a topic of discussion today,” said Bavarian minister president Markus Soder.
“The league itself is working on security concepts and it will definitely be something to be talked about soon – whether and in what form games behind closed doors will be possible.”
Leaders of the Bundesliga are scheduled to meet on April 23 to further discuss the possibility of returning to the pitch in some capacity.
Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Gelson Fernandes said: “I think that will be in late May. It’s impossible to think that in June, July, August, we’d be playing in front of 50,000 people. That would be wrong.
Will Bundesliga matches be played behind closed doors?
Games will return behind closed doors, but unlike in some Premier League plans they will be played at each team’s home stadium.
And Seifert has also stated that fans could have to wait until the end of the year to return to stadiums.
How many matches does the Bundesliga have left?
The Bundesliga has played 25 matches so far and has 18 participating teams – two less than the Premier League.
That means that Germany’s top flight still has nine games to play, which would be manageable before the end of June if the current schedule is adhered to.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
