Bundesliga CEO Robert Klein: “I Hope We Earned The Right To Play Another Matchday”

“I hope we earned the right to play another matchday,” Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said in a conference call on Monday. The conclusion of the Monday game between Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen saw the Bundesliga complete their first matchday amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Across the board, the Bundesliga can look back at some impressive television numbers. 3.68 million people watched the game on Sky Deutschland’s pay channel. Including the conference, the German television channel reached 6 million households. In the UK, 500,000 people tuned in on BT Sport to watch the Revierderby and 500,000 people watched on FOX in the United States, which represented a growth figure of 725%.

The Bundesliga, however, has stressed on several occasions that the restart was not about marketing nor gaining an advantage over other leagues. The financial situation at one point was indeed dire; on the whole, 13 out of 36 clubs had severe financial problems because of the lack of games.

“Of course, it’s a great opportunity to be able to be there and bring something to sports fans around the world, without a doubt,” Klein said. “At the same time, it is a great responsibility, and I think that we positioned it that way.”

“Above all, the league has been transparent in its willingness to share our experience and medical concept that we have put forward,” Klein said. “We have spoken to many leagues around the world, not just football leagues, sharing our experience. Each league and each country has different challenges. When we can help, we are more than willing to do so.” 

With matchday 26 in the books without a hitch, the biggest challenge is yet to come. Players will now return to a more routine schedule. Unlike before matchday 26, players will not spend the week in isolation ahead of matchday 27. Instead, they will be at home and train regularly at the club. 

The league will, however, continue testing. A test will be conducted on Wednesday and then once again 24 hours before kickoff. Players testing negative will be allowed to play; those tested positive will be quarantined.

Any positive test, however, will be a big challenge for the system. The league will work closely with regional health authorities to determine quarantine measures should a player test positive. Ahead of matchday 26, four Dynamo Dresden players tested positive, which resulted in the regional health authority to order the entire club into quarantine. 

That is perhaps the biggest weakness of the system. Germany does not have a universal authority to determine quarantine measures. Instead, regional bodies are in charge, which means positive tests in one part of the country could mean something very different in another. 

Mass quarantine of clubs, however, will mean further postponements of games. “It really has been about mending things together, and I would say the facts speak for themselves,” Klein said. “If you are able to bring together a solid concept of working with the league, working with local governments, working with first-class medical, then you got a chance to start.”

The start has been a success, indeed. Now it will be up to everyone involved to make the Bundesliga concept one that can last in the new reality of living with the pandemic. 

Manuel Veth is the editor-in-chief of the Futbolgrad Network and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth