The Bundesliga continues to pause
Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for
More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.The Corona compulsory break in football continues. Politicians have to decide when to continue. The DFL has created the conditions for this.
Game operations in the Bundesliga and the 2nd division will remain suspended until further notice. The 36 professional clubs are "ready" as soon as politicians set the date for the restart, said Christian Seifert, head of the German Football League, on Thursday after the general meeting.
To even set a date "would be presumptuous, it doesn't belong and is not up to us". The Prime Minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a conference on April 30 - then a decision could be made.
First weekend in May is unrealistic
"It's not up to us whether we play at all. And if so, when," said Seifert. "We only have to create the framework conditions. We have several game plan options." The first weekend in May is not realistic. Should politicians decide that it could continue on May 9th, "then we will be ready on May 9th".
The two top divisions have been on pause since mid-March. The discussions about the restart had picked up speed this week after Prime Ministers Markus Söder (Bavaria / CSU) and Armin Laschet (North Rhine-Westphalia / CDU) had brought May 9 as a possible date into the game. Strict contact restrictions still apply in Germany until the night of May 4th.
Clubs financially secure
Financially, the clubs now seem to be a little more secure. An agreement had been reached with "almost all" media partners for an advance payment of the outstanding TV premiums. "We held intensive talks," said Seifert. "Agreements have also been made on how to deal with this if the season cannot be played to the end." Then certain mechanisms for repayment take effect, so Seifert.
Concept for continuation is available
For the continuation of the game operations, an expert commission of the German Football League developed a concept that was presented to the clubs on Thursday. Among other things, this contains strict organizational requirements. A maximum of approx. 300 people should be involved in the implementation of individual ghost games - players and coaches included. In addition, the task force headed by DFB chief physician Tim Meyer gives clear guidelines for hygiene measures.
The players should be tested closely for the corona virus during the season, at least once a week. The DFL expects around 20,000 tests to be required for this. "We have also concluded a cooperation agreement here with a total of five laboratory associations," said Seifert. "All laboratories have assured us in writing that the current capacities are sufficient and that the test capacities are not limited by Covid-19."
The start of the Bundesliga is hotly debated
An almost sociopolitical dispute had broken out over whether the football professionals should be constantly monitored despite the lack of symptoms. The Robert Koch Institute also expressed doubts about the usefulness. The Federal Ministry of the Interior spoke out against the early termination of the restart.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) had again given hope on Wednesday that the ghost games would kick off soon - provided that protective measures were in place. "If that can succeed with a minimized and as good as possible excluded risk of infection, then it can certainly work," said Spahn. (lv / dpa)
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