BERLIN, April 23: The German football league is set to announce plans on Thursday for the Bundesliga to restart without spectators in the first half of May, but a move hailed as a welcome return to normality by some is meeting opposition from some scientists and fans.
The Bundesliga would be the first major European league to restart, potentially making it the focus of sports fans starved of action across the world.
Germany has been less affected by the coronavirus pandemic than other European countries, partly due to mass testing.
That situation has allowed the leaders of the powerful states of Bavaria � home to reigning German champions Bayern Munich � and the football hotbed state of North-Rhine Westphalia to back football�s resumption, albeit in empty stadiums.
But the move to allow players back onto the pitch is being treated with caution.
Bavaria state leader Markus Soeder made it clear that football will not be given a �blank cheque� to continue at a time of competing funding priorities, and the situation will be constantly reviewed.
�I can imagine that things will develop from one match day to the next,� he said. � AFP
