Coronavirus: Bundesliga’s return “not really a good signal” for Germany
German clubs have been allowed to return to training in small groups but some fear that the decision goes against the guidelines issued to the rest of society.
Last week German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced an extension to the country’s social distancing measures following a conference call with the 16 state leaders.
“A pandemic doesn’t take a vacation”, were the words of the German premier upon announcing the decision with the German people asked to "reduce contact with other people, except for members of their own household, to an absolute minimum”.
That is a stark contrast to country’s footballing landscape where the majority of Bundesliga clubs have now returned to some form of communal training. The sessions are taking place in groups of up to seven with players required to remain at least 1.5 metres apart to help maintain some degree of isolation.
Players have been asked to change and shower at home but there are fears that by returning to training the clubs risk spreading the coronavirus further. Those fears were not helped by reports in L'Équipe that Kinglsey Coman and Corentin Tolisso were seen hugging on their return to Bayern Munich training.
The decision to allow clubs to train was not made by Merkel or the central government, but by the local health authorities in each of the 16 federal states. This has meant the resumption to training was not agreed universally with Werder Bremen initially unable to acquire the permit necessary.
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Medical experts not sure if Bundesliga return is safe
Bremen’s Senator for the Interior, Ulrich Mäurer, had called the return to training "not really a good signal to the Republic [of Germany]". However with the club complaining of a "distortion of the competition" if they were not allowed to return, last Monday Mäurer agreed to grant them permission.
Given the speed with which Covid-19 has spread there is still too little known about the virus to accurately judge the risk of players returning to training. In response to the news AS English spoke to an NHS healthcare worker about football’s response to the pandemic.
“The uncertainty is the main thing”, he said. “No one has had the chance to study it long-term so there’s still a lot we don’t know about it”.
“But in football, there are just so many ways that it could spread between players. Imagine a drop of sweat or spit from one player landed on a ball, the next person to pick that ball up could easily come into contact with it.”
“No one is sure about the incubation period or if people can carry the virus after they’ve recovered, so how do clubs know when players are safe to return?”
This will be a particular issue for clubs where players have tested positive for Covid-19. Luca Kilian became the first Bundesliga player to contract the coronavirus and the club’s players and staff were initially put in quarantine. However on 6th April members of the Padeborn squad returned to training.
Germany, unlike England, Spain and Italy, has not suspended fixtures indefinitely and the Bundesliga is currently scheduled to resume on April 30th