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With sports fans around the world dying to return to watching games again, it appears one of the Big Five leagues of Europe is on the way back to football.
According to German tabloid Bild, the Bundesliga could be back on May 9th if some final hurdles are worked through. We use Google Translate for some quotes below, including from Markus Söder, President of the German state of Bavaria.
“It is a tightrope walk. We now have to be careful not to overdo it or be frivolous. Games with audience participation are completely unthinkable. Ghost games are also a tightrope walk. It is conceivable that we might be able to play such a ghost round at the earliest from May 9th. It is clear: A weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football. ”
And from Christian Siefert, President of the DFL, the German Football Association:
“These are positive signals that have been sent out. This gives both leagues an important perspective.” “Politics trust us, and we and the players in particular must now be role models. This has a lot to do with hygiene measures and exemplary handling of social contacts. It is important to be disciplined, not only for the employer, but also for the fans.”
It seems this is trending in the right direction, and we could see fussball as soon in just 19 days. If that’s the case, the spotlight on the league would be at its highest in a long time. Many other European leagues struggle to maintain the worldwide attention of the English Premier League, and this could be a chance to enhance brands across the planet as well.
Right now Bayern Munich sits atop the table on 55 points through 25 matches. They’re trailed by Borussia Dortmund on 51, RB Leipzig with 50, and Borussia Mönchengladbach with 49. For a league that often struggles to have a competitive championship, 2020 seemed to be aligning for an exciting finish.
Having it play out live on televisions worldwide would provide entertainment for fans of the beautiful game in a time where the world is in need of diversion. Let’s all hope they can pull it off.