The German Bundesliga enjoyed an odd restart to its 2019/2020 season on Saturday, but with new rules of engagement from disinfected balls, and social distancing among substitutes, amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The German Bundesliga being the first major sports league to resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic will enjoy a potential television audience estimated around one billion, reports.
The German top two divisions, had been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus, but it restarted with six matches on Saturday, including the Ruhr valley derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.
The atmosphere that the grounds around Europe would have been buzzing with was lacking, as instead of the 81,000 packed crowd at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, it was only a 300 people affair.
For Bundesliga to restart, it would have to be in a different way that everyone involved does not know about, so the 300 personnel included players, staff, team officials, broadcasters and security personnel amidst a strict health protocol.
To ensure a new spike of infection is not recorded, the Bundesliga had to restart without the fans as they have been banned from inside and around the venues to minimise the risk of infection.
Every shout, scream and thud of the ball bounced off the concrete tribunes and was picked up by the pitchside microphones to create a haunting atmosphere.
The games sounded more like Sunday kickabouts or high-intensity training sessions.
They were less than the return to action of highly-paid professionals in the world’s best-attended football league with normally an average of about 42,000 spectators per game.
The Bundesliga is desperate to complete the season for contractual reasons by June 30.
Soccer Football – Bundesliga – Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 – Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany – May 16, 2020 Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland in action with Schalke’s Salif Sane, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Martin Meissner/Pool via REUTERS
Police were present at the grounds prior to the start in order to deter fans from gathering outside to celebrate.
“The derby without fans is a new challenge for us but equally complex as a regular game,” Dortmund police said before the game, urging fans to stay at home. “Make it easy for us and stay at home.”
Inside the stadiums masks were mandatory for everyone apart from the players.
Teams had to change their routines completely with Leipzig having brought in a set of airport stairs to keep substitutes at a distance in the tribunes.
Some were three metres higher up than the bench.
The Bundesliga has allowed five substitutions in total per game to cope with the lack of match practice and the congested fixture schedule, in a new measure to ensure a safe restart.
Meanwhile, in football games around Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund created their own spark without their fans in a 4-0 demolition of Schaclke 04
Prolific scorer, Erling Haaland opened scoring in the 29th minute, Raphael Guerreiro also scored twice for Dortmund in the game.
Borussia Moenchengladbach boosted their hopes of winning a first Bundesliga title since 1977 after they secured a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Moenchengladbach, who went 2-0 up in seven minutes before adding another through Ramy Bensebaini’s penalty kick in the second half, moved up one place to third after 26 games, on 52 points, three beyond champions and leaders Bayern Munich who visit Union Berlin on Sunday.
In other games, Augsburg lost 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg, Fortuna Düsseldorf and SC Paderborn 07 played out a goalless draw, while Hoffenheim lost 0-3 at home to Hertha BSC, and Leipzig played out a 1-1 draw at home to Freiburg.