German football ready to replay from May 9

As large popular rallies are banned in Germany until at least August 31, the resumption of the football championship can only take place behind closed doors. INA FASSBENDER / AFP

They had already found, in recent weeks, the way to the field for training. In Germany, professional footballers could now resume matches from May 9, becoming the first of the major European championships to return to competition.

The representatives of the 36 German clubs of the first and second divisions, meeting Thursday April 23 by videoconference, announced that they are ready to resume on this date in order to dispute the nine remaining days. On condition that the authorities allow it.

As the Covid-19 epidemic has not yet been contained and large popular rallies are prohibited until at least August 31, this resumption can only take place behind closed doors.

"With precautions, closed games are certainly possible again, said Tuesday the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn. For millions of football fans, this would be a return to normal from May 9, even if it is in an empty stadium. "

Since the championship was put on hold on March 13, the German Football League and clubs have continued to demand the possibility of ending the season. They put forward the financial risk that would run, according to them, a non-recovery: if the championship is closed on June 30, they will be able to touch the remaining televised rights, that is to say approximately 300 million euros.

"Mistake using thousands of tests for closed games"

To secure this recovery, and even if the meetings will take place behind closed doors, the clubs will have to take sanitary measures. The German Football Federation has promised that players and coaching staff will be tested every three days to avoid the risk of contagion. This would amount to having 20,000 tests, according to his calculations.

This prospect is the subject of strong criticism. "It would be a mistake to use thousands of tests for in camera matches when there are not enough to test home nurses and teachers", denounced the Social Democrat deputy and epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach.

"I think the tests should be used where it makes medical sense, also said Lars Schaade, vice president of the Robert Koch Institute, responsible for epidemiological monitoring. I do not see why certain groups of the population should be subjected to systematic screening. "

Read also European football faced with the reality of the health situation

Hostility from part of the supporters

In addition, the prospect of matches played behind closed doors is not to the taste of some of the supporters. The association Unsere Kurve ("Our turn"), like groups of ultras, pleads for a definitive end to the season, rather than meetings without an audience. Fanszenen Deutschlands Group even sees recovery “An insult to the rest of society (…), in particular to the nursing staff”.

Certain groups of supporters have imagined accompanying the recovery in their own way. At Mönchengladbach, spectators in … cardboard already fill the stands when the players train. The Fanprojekt Mönchengladbach group offers supporters to install their own cardboard effigy, for 19 euros, where they usually sit in the stadium.

However, this would not prevent a certain number of fans from gathering near the stadiums to encourage their teams on match days, despite the ban on assembly. A risk on which a police union has already alerted the authorities.

Read also Ultras supporters oppose a premature resumption of football in France

Dutch and Belgian championships stopped

Contrary to German football, Dutch football and Belgian football should be the first in Europe to draw a line under the current season.

The Dutch Federation announced on Tuesday that the championship should not go to an end given the government's decision to ban public events until 1er September, the closed-door matches being, moreover, almost impossible, since they are subject to authorization and require the presence of the police. The federation will assemble, Friday, the clubs to act this stop.

The Belgian championship, which had announced its desire to end the season on March 25, will act on this decision at a general club meeting on Monday, April 27. The Belgian government banned, on April 15, "Mass events" until August 31.

The less firm position of UEFA

The meeting organized on Friday by the Dutch Federation will also discuss the consequences of the end of the season: relegation, promotions and qualifications for the European Cups. On this last point, UEFA, the body responsible for European football, changed its position this week.

A few days ago, she had threatened with exclusion from the European Cups next year the clubs playing in championships that would put an end to judgment "Premature" and " unjustified " in season.

But on Tuesday UEFA announced that "Certain special cases will be studied once guidelines for participation in European competitions for canceled championships have been developed". Clearly, countries that would not be able to resume the season would not be penalized.

In addition, the UEFA executive committee, which met on Thursday, said that in the event of the championships being stopped, tickets for Europe next season would be issued to "Sporting merit". According to France Football, it will be up to the national leagues to decide, with UEFA granting itself a right of scrutiny and veto if the method of appointment does not seem to it sufficiently fair and objective.

The calendar for the end of European competitions this year remains unresolved. If UEFA still wishes to see the national championships resume and end before August 3, so that it can then organize the end of the European Cups – with a Champions League final on August 29 – it has not still not formally implemented this scheme. Its steering committee decided nothing on Thursday. It will meet again on May 27.

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