And, in the end, it was the Germans who took over first. As predicted by a draft agreement between the central government and the regions, the Bundesliga championships (in the first and second divisions) will end their season. "The Bundesliga can resume from the second half of May by respecting the rules which have been agreed", Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a video conference with heads of regional governments, the last word being left to the Länder to decide whether or not to allow sporting events on their territory.
If the precise date of the resumption remains to be determined (May 16 and 21 are mentioned), Germany is indeed the first major European championship to resume competition. France has already drawn a line under the end of the season, as have the Netherlands, while England, Spain and Italy hope to resume at best in June. This early return can be explained by a less unfavorable health situation than elsewhere in Europe, but not only.
In the midst of this crisis, German football offered a united front, unlike Italy and France, for example, where the players' unions and even certain club presidents were not in favor of a return to the grass fields. The German Football League (DFL) has always pleaded to resume a season stopped nine days before its end.
A recovery that she deemed vital to the survival of the economy of a sector employing 56,000 people in the country. By saving these nine days, German football is recovering 300 million euros in TV rights, which are essential for clearing the books. The local press advances as well as twelve clubs (out of the 36 in the first and second divisions) would fear going bankrupt.
1,724 tests already carried out and ten positive cases
To succeed, the DFL presented to the public authorities a draconian health protocol through the multiplication of tests to detect Covid-19 among players and all club employees in relation to them.
On Monday, the DFL announced that ten people out of the 1,724 tested had presented positive results. FC Cologne last week reported three cases (two players and a fitness trainer), two others concern Mönchengladbach (a player and a physiotherapist), the regional daily understands Rheinische post.
These positive cases are placed in quarantine, but the rest of the group will not necessarily be. Besides, isolation measures are the responsibility of regional authorities and not of clubs. "All players, coaches and employees must exercise extreme discipline and respect social distancing measures", has recalled the chief safety protocol doctor of the League, Tim Meyer, at the microphone of Sport 1.
A message needed after the Salomon Kalou episode. The Ivorian player of Herta Berlin had published, on Monday, on Instagram a video where he made the barrier gestures in derision by slapping the wind to some of his teammates. The club has decided to provisionally suspend the striker.
No shaking hands before matches
In Germany, players have returned to training since April 5 for a club like Bayern Munich. Special training certified as “social distancing”. "We arrive at training directly dressed and we go straight home for the shower. We work in groups of four. We avoid contact, duels are prohibited ", detailed the Friborg Frenchman Jonathan Schmid to AFP.
If the Bundesliga has not planned to adjust the rules of the game and prohibit players from touching an opponent, the traditional handshake is prohibited at the start of the match and the substitutes will occupy only one seat out of two on the sidelines.
On match day, a maximum of 300 people are allowed in stadiums and zones will be created to avoid any contact between players and other people ((staff, officials, camera operators, police).
The catalog of hygiene and prevention measures does not stop there and covers training, travel and accommodation.
Rather than focusing on the title race between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, European football risks seeing the Bundelsiga above all as a laboratory for knowing what a match in deconfinement can look like.
No sport until the end of July in Belgium, football should stop
There will be no sporting events in Belgium until the end of July, the Belgian National Security Council announced on Wednesday May 6. This government decision was "Recorded" in the wake of a press release from the Pro League, the association of Belgian football clubs, which will study "End of season modalities" at its general meeting scheduled for May 15. In the event of a permanent cessation of the championship – which the majority of clubs want – FC Bruges, leading at the time of stoppage due to the coronavirus in mid-March, would be crowned champion, according to the Pro League. The restarting of collective training sessions will nevertheless be authorized from June 15.
