This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
On May 6, 2020, the German government and state leaders are set to give the Bundesliga the green light to restart behind closed doors in May, according to a draft government agreement.
The decision aims to limit the economic damage for the 36 clubs, with more than a dozen teams on the brink of bankruptcy and the league desperately needing to recoup 300 million euros ($325 million) from TV contracts.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers will set a date for the season to resume in a telephone conference, with May 21 being a possible candidate.
The Bundesliga would become the first major European league to return to action, with a two-week quarantine and strict infection control measures in place.
So far, clubs in the top two divisions have returned 10 positive results from 1,724 coronavirus tests since training resumed, with three cases from the Cologne club and two from Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Health Minister Jens Spahn has argued that the testing regime makes sense and can serve as an example for other forms of professional sport, but warned that it must be lived up to.
Leagues across Europe are taking different approaches to the unprecedented crisis, with the French league announcing that it will not resume the Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 seasons, and the Netherlands abandoning its season a week earlier.
