Bundesliga Given Go-Ahead For Restart: “Aware Of Great Responsibility”

The Bundesliga is set to return in May behind closed doors. On Wednesday, the federal government and the various German Länder (states) gave their green light to the concept presented by the Deutsche Fußball Liga; the decision was unanimous. 

“Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga, and Bundesliga 2,” Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert said in a press statement. “[The decision] is connected with a great responsibility for both clubs and their employees, who are in charge of the medical and organizational aspects. Games without attendance aren’t ideal for anyone. But for some clubs and our league as a whole, it is the only way to survive in a crisis that has become an existential threat.”

Unless initially expected, there will be no two-week quarantine before the league gets to restart. That plan is a deviation from the original proposal by German chancellor Angela Merkel, which was leaked to the press on Tuesday. That proposal would have seen the league start pushed back to May 22.

Merkel, however, had that requirement removed in her statement on Wednesday. “They test regularly, as a result, it is a different situation as it is the case for someone who is tested at the beginning and end of quarantine,” German chancellor Angela Merkel said when asked about the quarantine rules for players. 

Altogether the Bundesliga has conducted 1,742 tests. The league expects that it needs 20,000 tests to finish the season, this number also includes tests for family members.

The number of tests required was also a point of criticism, but in reality, the 20,000 tests only represent a small fraction of Germany’s testing capacity. According to the Robert Koch Institut, the country can conduct 818,426 tests a week. Furthermore, in the last week of April, many tests were being left unused as the demand for testing has fallen in the country. 

“We are aware that this is a controversial decision,” Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder said at the same press conference. “The people in charge will do everything in their power to ensure safety. Players, who are not acting reasonably will have to live with consequences.” 

That last statement was directed at Hertha Berlin striker Salomon Kalou. The forward posted a video of himself on Monday in which he shook hands with several players, walked into a Coronavirus test, and then went on to complain, on camera, about the fact that he received a paycut. The gross violation of the DFL hygiene concept was water on the mills of the opposition to the Bundesliga restart as were the positive tests at 1.FC Köln. 

“[The Kalou video] was an own goal,” Söder said on Wednesday. “Not just normal people have to keep with the hygiene concept but also those who earn a lot of money.” 

Going forward there are still some open questions. It is not yet clear whether the league will restart with matchday 26 or if the schedule will be changed. That decision is expected on Thursday when the DFL will get together with the various clubs in a general meeting.

There are several options on the table including a new list of fixtures. The league, however, is somewhat hesitant to start games with matchday 26 as it would include the Ruhrderby Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke, which could result in large fan gatherings.

One proposal, therefore, is to start with matchday 34 and then play the remaining schedule backwards from there. Either way, those final decisions, including the restart date, will be made by the league on Thursday. 

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