Germany’s top two flights are prepared to play soccer if they get the green light from the government.
That conditional is a massive one, but the German Football Federation has announced plans for the return of the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga. Multiple outlets say the target date is May 9, but the federation refrained from putting a firm date in its release.
The announcement comes just days after the Netherlands banned public events until at least Sept. 1.
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The matches will begin behind closed doors next month if the government okays the plan.
The federation sure seems to have done due diligence. It says that all laboratories “have guaranteed in writing” that the testing of footballers will not hinder their ability to test the general public. The federation is also donating around $540,000 in testing materials for publicly-funded healthcare.
The maximum amount of people at matches is listed down to the person, with 213 people in the stadium at Bundesliga matches with an additional 109 on the exterior. Those figures drop to 188 and 82 for matches in the second tier.
The federation has also allocated some of the money put into a solidarity fund by the Bundesliga’s four Champions League outfits. It will be dispersed to women’s sides and 3.Liga clubs that are not Bundesliga reserve sides (Bayern Munich II is in the 3.Liga).
We won’t jinx it, and we certainly hope the plan is sound... but my goodness would it be nice to watch some live soccer on our screens as soon as next month.