This archive report was first published on 7 May 2020.
On May 7, 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that Germany's Bundesliga season can resume this month, making it the first major European league to return to competition.
The German Football League (DFL) will announce the exact date for resumption on Thursday, but all matches will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Bayern Munich, currently top of the table with nine games remaining, are four points ahead of Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge expressed gratitude to the politicians for allowing the season to resume, stating, "I would like to thank the politicians for giving today's decision [and for] the opportunity to finish the Bundesliga season."
He added that the club is now looking forward to resuming play, ideally from mid-May, and appealed to everyone involved to follow the requirements in an exemplary and disciplined manner.
Christian Seifert, chief executive of the DFL, emphasized the great responsibility that comes with resuming games without spectators, stating, "Games without spectators are not an ideal solution for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form."
