This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
Bundesliga's Return: Lessons for European Football ¶
On May 17, 2020, the Bundesliga resumed its season in Germany, providing a unique opportunity for fans worldwide to witness elite football amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The league's restart, with empty stands and stringent hygiene guidelines, has given fans a taste of what the future of football might hold.
As the Bundesliga has a head start of at least a month on other major leagues aiming to restart this summer, some of the strange scenes seen in Germany will become the new normal for fans in England, Italy, and Spain. La Liga and Serie A are targeting mid-June as a potential start date for their suspended seasons, and fans in both countries may have to get used to silent, empty stadiums, socially-distanced goal celebrations, footballers in face masks, and the specter of players catching COVID-19.
Italy's clubs are debating a medical protocol that currently rules that if a player tests positive for the virus, he and anyone who has come into close contact with him must be quarantined for two weeks. In contrast, Germany only isolates the player. The Bundesliga's approach to hygiene regulations could provide a model for the coming months.
Bayern Munich maintained their four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga, defeating Union Berlin 2-0. The champions had two-thirds of possession at the Alten Foesterei stadium, and once Robert Lewandowski slotted home his 26th league goal of the season from the penalty spot, the result was never in doubt.
Erling Braut Haaland, the 19-year-old goal machine, was a young man of few words with the media after Dortmund's 4-0 thumping of Ruhr rivals Schalke. However, he had done his talking on the pitch, picking up where he left off before the world went into virus lockdown. Haaland swept home the opener, the league's first goal of its restart, before laying on the first of Raphael Guerreiro's brace.
Over six million people in Germany watched the first top-tier matches in two months, with 3.68 million tuning into broadcaster Sky Germany's subscription channels on Saturday. A further 2.45 million tuned into the 'Konferenz' – a simultaneous live broadcast of the five afternoon games – on free-to-air Sports News Channel.
Protests from match-going fans have also marked the return of the Bundesliga, with Augsburg supporters branding the return 'sick' in a stadium banner. Germany has one of the world's most vibrant football fan cultures, with raucous fans packing stadiums where entrance fees are priced at a fraction of what Premier League fans have to shell out.
