Bundesliga ready for return
The German Football League has been a pioneer in the way in which it has tried to take the necessary steps so that conditions can resume its competitions as soon as possible, sparing no effort.
May 09 is desired date
The Bundesliga is looking forward to restarting its competitions (1st and 2nd divisions of the country) quickly in order to be able to complete its seasons in good time and has even indicated May 9 as the date for restarting competitions if it obtains authorization from government entities.
For several weeks, the Bundesliga has detailed a plan to make it possible to compete by creating a protocol even mentioning a maximum number of people who could be inside the stadium and who would be essentially the essential elements for a football match.
According to this protocol, a football game would have a limit of 213 people inside the stadium and 109 in the vicinity. This would be the minimum necessary for a match to take place and, given the dimensions of the stadiums and their surroundings, this could not mean a risk that is too high for the health of the players.
Of course, this will always have some critics and the German fans do not seem to be very much in agreement with the decision, not least because they are in the habit of filling most stadiums and would see the matches being held behind closed doors.
Test will become normal
But the security measures that will involve a possible return to competitions will not be restricted to the number of people authorized to attend the surroundings of the event, as all players and technical staff will be tested by Covid-19 every three days, as well as in eve of departures.
This should imply the availability of more than 20,000 tests just for the realization of soccer games, which will represent a strong investment by the entities responsible for the competition. It is estimated that this large number of tests may be equivalent to an investment of around 2.5 million euros.
In addition, we are all aware that testing for Covid-19 is today one of the most requested goods in the world and ‘squandering’ tens of thousands of specimens so that football games can be played seems a little disrespectful to those who daily they see accounts with scarce resources in hospitals.
In short, an eventual return of the Bundesliga could lead to several problems of conscience in its players, players included, and perhaps that goal may even have to be postponed for a few more weeks, in the expectation that things may be cleared up in 15 minutes. days, for example.
Next plan for the restart: Bundesliga professionals should play with masks
In the quest for a low-risk restart of the Bundesliga, a curious proposal is causing discussion. According to “Spiegel” information, the Federal Ministry of Labor is examining whether professionals can use face masks to protect against the corona virus.
This emerged from a paper from the Ministry in response to the hygiene concept of the German Football League (DFL), as the news magazine reported on Friday. On request, a ministry spokesman confirmed that such a paper existed, but pointed out that it was only a first draft at the working level.
According to this, Bundesliga players and referees should wear mouth-nose protection according to medical standards during the matches. These should not slip during the game, otherwise the game must be interrupted immediately. There should also be an interruption every 15 minutes so that the masks could be replaced.
Initial reactions to this suggestion did not sound very enthusiastic. “A sprint with a mask may be possible, but not three or four. It is difficult with the air supply. That would be out of the question for football, ”commented Leipzig Sports Director Markus Krösche on Friday.
Ulf Dittmer, Director of the Institute of Virology in Essen, had similarly critical comments in a dpa conversation: “You cannot do long sports with an infection-proof mouthguard. Since they have clear breathing restrictions. And another mouthguard that only hangs loosely in front of the face and may be lost in duels doesn’t help. ”
Alexander Wehrle also has little to gain from the idea. “When you arrive, whether it is in the team bus, you can discuss whether it makes sense to wear masks. But it doesn’t make sense on the field, ”he said at Sky Sports News.
According to DFB chief physician Tim Meyer, there are no corresponding considerations in the task force he directs. When asked whether it was considered in the expert group that players wear masks and not just the goalkeeper gloves, Meyer replied in an interview with the German Press Agency: “No. The premise was: everything remains unchanged on the pitch. There were also suggestions such as that players should keep their distance from each other in the free kick wall. The spectators would no longer find football authentic. In my view, if players were to play with masks, that would be unacceptable. ”
According to DFB chief physician Tim Meyer, there are no corresponding considerations in the task force he directs. When asked whether it was considered in the expert group that players wear masks and not just the goalkeeper gloves, Meyer replied in an interview with the German Press Agency: “No. The premise was: everything remains unchanged on the pitch. There were also suggestions such as that players should keep their distance from each other in the free kick wall. The spectators would no longer find football authentic. In my view, if players were to play with masks, that would be unacceptable. ”
“The sport is and remains the subject of current consultations,” said deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer. The conference of sports ministers is currently working on a position paper on the gradual re-entry into training and competition operations. “Of course, everything is measured by the rules that we have given ourselves, and of course they also apply to sports and athletes,” said Demmer.
According to “Spiegel”, the ministry draft alternatively proposes a permanent quarantine for all people involved in the game until the end of the season. The isolation could take place in sufficiently large hotels, for example.
