Coronavirus: Bundesliga leads way as UK makes plans for Premier League return
The German top flight is making preparations to be the first major European league to return to action with the Premier League hoping to follow suit.
Officials in Germany are making plans for the Bundesliga to return in May as the country begins to slowly roll back lockdown measures. On Monday, the government reopened bike and car outlets, bookshops, florists, fashion stores and other small shops.
The Bundesliga has continually outlined its commitment to finishing the 2019/20 season and the 36 professional clubs of Germany’s top two tiers will meet later today to discuss restarting the league in May.
German clubs became the first of Europe’s top leagues to return to training last month, albeit in small groups. Augsburg were back in training as early as 23 March and all Bundesliga sides are now doing some form of group training.
Events with large crowds are not permitted in Germany until the end of August, but clubs have put together a plan to allow the football season to resume. Matches would be held behind closed doors, with a limited number of officials and broadcasters allowed into the stadium. Even so, league officials estimate that up to 300 people would be needed per match.
Saturday afternoon football to be broadcast in the UK
BT Sport currently holds the rights to broadcast Bundesliga football in the UK and usually shows around four games per weekend. However, with the German league likely to be the first to return, we may well see far broader coverage initially.
Earlier this month, UEFA lifted the ban on televising 3pm Saturday games in the UK, after a request from the Football Association and Scottish Football Association. That ban had applied to any European football, not just Premier League matches, and it appears that the Bundesliga may be the first to take advantage of its removal.
It is not known when the Premier League will be able to return, but it seems almost certain that it too will look to broadcast more games when fixtures can resume.
The English Football League announced last week that they would look to broadcast all games live if they have to be played in empty stadiums and the UK government has expressed its desire to see the Premier League follow suit.
Free-to-air football possibilities being explored
Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, revealed yesterday that he has enquired about the possibility of showing games on free-to-air television. When asked if Premier League games would be made available to the general public, Dowden said: “It’s a very good point and I’ve raised exactly this challenge to the Premier League in the talks I’ve had with them.
“I’ve said to the Premier League in particular that it wouldn’t send the best signal if they were the first, or one of the first, major sports to restart behind closed doors and the public at large wouldn’t have access to it.”
He added that the solution would not necessarily have to involve “moving onto traditional terrestrial matches, or even showing all of the matches”, suggesting that more “creative choices” were also possible.
With the lockdown likely to extend beyond the return of the Premier League, the government is thought to believe that free-to-air football would help to discourage fans from travelling to friends’ houses to watch matches.