The German League – Bundesliga – became the first top football league in Europe to continue to compete. The Bundesliga returns by continuing the 26th competition week.
A number of hot matches can be watched again like Borussia Dortmund against Schalke 04, titled The Revierderby, and Eintracht Frankfurt against Borussia Monchengladbach. Both Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach must win in order to continue to stick to the top of the standings.
Despite having returned, there are a number of different habits that you need to know so as not to get confused while watching.
Players are required to take the Covid-19 test at least once a week.
Although the match has resumed, the Bundesliga still have to implement a health protocol. Because after all the health and safety of players and all related staff remain the main focus. To ensure this, the players are asked to do Covid-19 tests once a week.
Fixed distance restrictions apply.
Football is a physical sport, and physical contact between players is certainly inevitable. But there are some restrictions that players and staff must pay attention to in order to continue implementing social distancing. Some of the examples are reserve players now sit on separate benches from the team and required to wear masks. Then, players are prohibited from celebrating with the team. This was done in order to prevent unnecessary physical contact. Moreover, they are now using more than one dressing room per team.
Performed without an audience
Since it was rolled back, the Bundesliga match has been held without spectators. Spectators or supporters can sometimes have a considerable influence on a soccer match. Supporters can bring a different atmosphere to a match, especially for the home team. However, the Bundesliga is now forced to be held without spectators to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Germany has confirmed over 185k cases of COVID-19 infections and registered 8,736 deaths. The nation has been praised for its handling of the pandemic. However, a poll for German state broadcaster ARD showed that 56 per cent of Germans pointed out that re-starting the game at the stage of the pandemic is wrong.
Nonetheless, the game started. Hence, those are some new normal habits that have been implemented in the Bundesliga. Pretty interesting right? Don’t be surprised later when watching football!