This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On May 8, 2020, the German Football League received the green light from Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to resume the season, with the Bundesliga set to become the first top European football league to restart matches since the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The season is expected to resume on Saturday, May 16, with all games played without spectators. The opening day's key game is between second-placed Borussia Dortmund and arch-rivals Schalke in the Ruhr derby at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.
Clubs have been training in small groups until recently, but on Thursday, Dortmund held full team training for the first time in seven weeks. Borussia Moenchengladbach also resumed team training, despite announcing that one of their backroom staff had a positive test of the coronavirus.
The Bundesliga wants to complete the last nine rounds of matches before June 30 to secure around 300 million euros ($325 million) in television money. However, the situation is a step into the unknown, with the worry that an outbreak of the coronavirus in the league could again halt the resumed season.
Germany captain Manuel Neuer has said Bundesliga footballers have a huge responsibility to be role models, and to drum home the point, German daily Bild translated "Follow The Rules!" into 28 languages for the 278 foreign players in the league.
"We have had very constructive talks with the local health authority about it," a Dortmund club spokesman told AFP subsidiary SID. "The coaches and the team have worked under unusual conditions over the past few weeks. Everyone is happy team training is permitted again," said Borussia's sporting director Max Eberl.
