How European football is reacting to the crisis: an overview

GERMANY According to SID information, the German Football League (DFL) is aiming to restart with a Friday game on May 15th - assuming political approval is given. The decision on this should be made soon. After German Chancellor Angela Merkel's discussions with the state prime ministers on Thursday evening, the 36 professional clubs were postponed until next Wednesday, May 6th (SportNews reported). However, the clubs can then hope for the green light for the planned ghost games. Preparations for a return to the pitch are already in full swing at the clubs. ITALIAN Serie A has been on pause since March 9th, with twelve match days still remaining until the end of the championship. From next Monday, individual training will be permitted again at the clubs. The clubs will only be allowed to resume group training from May 18th. The deadline for the end of the season has already been extended as a precautionary measure. Instead of June 30th, the season now has to end on August 2nd. The prerequisite for the resumption of gaming operations is a protocol for player safety. “Otherwise the government will be forced to end the championship,” said Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora. ENGLAND The English Premier League is preparing to resume play in small steps. According to media reports, a restart is planned for June 8th, and team training should be possible again from May 18th. Games should be played until the end of July in order not to collide with the European Football Union's (UEFA) plans for the Champions League and Europa League. There are still a total of 92 games outstanding, which are apparently to be played as ghost games. Liverpool FC with team manager Jürgen Klopp is the confident league leader. SPAIN Spanish football is taking a small step back to normality from Monday. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced, along with further easing measures in the wake of the corona pandemic, that individual training sessions for professional clubs would be permitted again. Team training is excluded. Play in the Primera Division has been suspended since March 12th. League boss Javier Tebas absolutely wants to finish the championship in order to save the vital TV income. FRANCE Ligue 1 was the first of Europe's top leagues to pull the ripcord and end the season early. The LFP league association announced on Thursday after an hour-long meeting that the season had ended with immediate effect and that the final table would be determined based on the average points of the individual teams. League leaders Paris St. Germain with German coach Thomas Tuchel were declared champions, while the last two teams, SC Amiens and FC Toulouse, had to be relegated. NETHERLANDS The Dutch association (KNVB) also provided clarity and canceled the season. A champion was not crowned. Record champions and league leaders Ajax Amsterdam have to wait for their 35th title. There will be no relegated teams from the Eredivisie or promoted teams from the 2nd league. However, the association is now facing a wave of lawsuits. Resistance is particularly evident from second-placed AZ Alkmaar, cup finalists FC Utrecht and the two top clubs in the Eerste Divisie, who were denied possible promotion. BELGIUM The final decision about an early end to the season was recently postponed again. The vote is now scheduled to take place on Monday. A resumption of games seems impossible because the Belgian government has banned all mass events until August 31st and, according to association statements, at least 400 people would be needed for a game even behind closed doors. SWEDEN The Allsvenskan elite league also wants to take a special approach to football and start the championship on June 14th - with spectators. BELARUS There has been regular play in Belarus since the start of the season. Despite the coronavirus crisis, the national league started the season as planned on March 20th. The games will take place in front of an audience on the instructions of President Alexander Lukashenko. The World Health Organization explicitly warned against this. AUSTRIA The clubs are training again. Ghost games are not excluded.

	SP	TV	P
1. Bayer Leverkusen	31	77:22	81
2. Bayern Munich	31	89:38	69
3. VfB Stuttgart	31	70:38	64
4. RB Leipzig	31	73:35	62
5. Bor. Dortmund	31	59:39	57
6. Eintracht Frankfurt	31	47:42	45
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	SP	TV	P
1. Holstein Kiel	30	60:34	61
2. FC St Pauli	30	56:33	60
3. Fortuna Dusseldorf	30	64:35	55
4. Hamburger SV	30	55:42	49
5. Karlsruhe SC	30	61:45	46
6. Hannover 96	30	52:38	45
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How European football is reacting to the crisis: an overview

In some countries measures are being relaxed, in other nations facts have already been established. While the German Bundesliga and the Italian Serie A are hoping for a resumption of play, the season in the Netherlands and France was ended prematurely. An overview of Europe's most important leagues.

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