ClapDespite the fact that it seems like it’s going to be quite some time before we get back to normality, especially in the world of sport, that hasn’t stopped some organizations and leagues from jumping the gun.
We’ve already seen the Belarusian Premier League, UFC and WWE somewhat go into business for themselves, and now, it appears as if one of the big players in the European football scene is going to try and get back to normality.
That ‘player’ is none other than the German Bundesliga.
It’s known for being one of the most respected divisions in world football, but it seems like they may lose a few fans with their decision to get back to playing on May 9th – or, at least, that’s the plan right now.
“If we start on 9 May, we are ready. If it is later, we will be ready again,” DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said on Thursday.
“For us, what is decisive is what the politicians will decide. It is not for us to decide when.
“Games without spectators are not what we want – but at the moment the only thing that seems feasible.”
German politics has recently decided that large events with crowds will be banned at least until October 24, which would ensure no fans being in the arenas until that point in time. Alas, that does leave the door open for games to be played behind closed doors for a while.
The danger for the German leagues is that many of their clubs in the top few divisions could actually be facing insolvency if they don’t get back to playing sooner rather than later. We all know what sort of crippling impact the COVID-19 outbreak is going to have on the world over the course of the next few months, and potentially the next few years.
We’re in the very early stages of dealing with this, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Bundesliga should be praised or vilified too harshly for this decision.
At the end of the day, if they’re given the green light to go ahead with it by the government, there isn’t all too much that can be done to stop them.
We live in a world whereby the state of play is changing with each and every passing moment, and that’s no exaggeration.
The issue is going to be that if one person and one person alone ends up testing positive for Coronavirus, the ripple effect that has is obviously going to be pretty dramatic.
Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and hopefully the Bundesliga knows what they’re doing, mainly because the rest of the football world is watching on with a great deal of intrigue.
They all, obviously, also want to know what is going to happen next in this environment – and the Bundesliga could well end up producing the blueprints for the next stage of proceedings.
All we can really do is hope that everyone stays safe, and that we’re back to normal before too long.
