Global spotlight fixed on Germany's kickoff

This weekend's Bundesliga restart can set an example for the rest of the sports world to follow, reckons former Bayern Munich star Dietmar Hamann.

Germany's top two divisions are set to return to action this weekend without spectators after last week getting the go-ahead from authorities.

German soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country recording almost 8,000 deaths from the virus to date.

The Bundesliga is the first of any of Europe's major leagues to be given clearance to resume playing, with the Netherlands and France both deciding to end their seasons prematurely amid the crisis.

Former Bayern and Liverpool midfielder Hamann reckons the resumption offers the Bundesliga a chance to develop a blueprint for others to learn from.

"Everyone around the globe is going to keep a close eye on the progress in German football," said Hamann.

"Everybody is eager to see how things work out and then they might try to adopt many things laid down in the German concept."

Bayern and Germany legend Lothar Matthaeus concurred, saying: "Many leagues will pay attention to what happens here."

German league (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert has said that the top tier will finish on June 27, with the second division concluding on June 28.

Midweek matches will be played to allow Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt make up their games in hand. Bayern remains on course to claim a record-extending 30th league title, leading second-place Borussia Dortmund by four points. RB Leipzig is a further point back in third.

With no fans in the arenas, Hamann reckons players' mental fortitude will play a key role in deciding the champion.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Borussia Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl both suspect the restart could throw up some surprise results, with the former describing behind-closed-doors games as "a step into the unknown".

Some observers, though, reckon underdogs will be disadvantaged by not having fans roar them on to potential upsets and expect the best quality sides to prevail.

All teams are observing a seven-day period of self-isolation ahead of the new kickoff, with club bosses admitting completing the campaign will not be easy.

"It is our responsibility to take this chance seriously," Rummenigge said.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said that clubs should be grateful to the public's discipline during the crisis.

"If infection rates hadn't decreased, we wouldn't be able to proceed. We all have to take the hygiene concept seriously."

Dresden setback

However, the restart plans suffered a setback last Saturday after the entire squad of Bundesliga 2 team Dynamo Dresden was placed in two-week quarantine following two positive coronavirus tests.

"We always expected that the remainder of this season will not be trouble-free," Watzke told the Funke media group. "These tests and results are also a sign of our transparency."

Relegation-battling Dresden, which sits last in Bundesliga 2, was due to play at Hannover on Sunday, but the club's sporting director, Ralf Minge, said: "The fact is that we can neither train nor participate in any games over the next 14 days."

The DFL insists strict health and safety measures will be enforced when the action resumes, including frequent testing of players, staff and even their family members, with the travel and movements of everyone involved restricted.

Several clubs, including Bayern, Dortmund and Wolfsburg, have picked hotels in their cities to cut travel times to training locations and airports for the weekend matches.

Others like Schalke, which faces Dortmund in the Rhine-Ruhr derby on Saturday, and Borussia Moenchengladbach are staying at hotels at their stadiums.

Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin have moved to more isolated hotels in the countryside, as have bottom club Paderborn, which will spend the week in a nearby thermal springs town.

Players and staff wore face masks as they departed for hotels where distance between tables at team lunches and dinners will be routine, as will single rooms where players will make their own beds to reduce unnecessary contact with other people.

Bavarian prime minister Markus Soeder stressed that any violations of the safety rules could lead to a cancellation of the restart.

"I expect everyone to live up to their responsibilities," DFL CEO Seifert said last weekend.

Xinhua in Berlin