Fans may have to stay away till vaccine is found, says Bundesliga International CEO Klein

When the

Bundesliga

became the first big league to return to action after the lockdown, it seemed strange. This was not the

football

that we have loved, but for the world, this was an important start. As the world’s eyes focus on

Germany

, Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein spoke to select journalists on the challenges and way ahead. Excerpts from an interview…

What sort of interest has the Bundesliga generated compared to earlier in the season?
The eyes of the world are on Bundesliga. We had trending figures from Colombia, Ghana, South Africa, Asia, so it’s quite incredible. Sky announced they had six million viewers on Saturday, which is a record, and I think we have had that kind of impact internationally. What we saw generally was an enthusiasm to have top-flight international football back.
There are plenty who believe the Bundesliga has hurried back with money as a big motivation…
There will always be naysayers and there was misinformation in the beginning. Heath remains the absolute priority. The decision to restart was dependent solely on the local governments. Furthermore, the German government is committed to half a million tests per week and the 25,000 tests that Bundesliga would need from now till the end of season, does not take away from any of that base. The focus was to put a robust system to ensure safety, and on the first match day, it has gone well.

Football without fans, testing, and social distancing, what happened in Bundesliga, is that the new normal for world football?
I think it’s a new normal for a while, for sure. What is clear from the Bundesliga is that until the end of the season, it will be without fans and it’s also possible that it will go into the beginning of next season. Health is a priority for everyone and until Covid is seriously under control, which is probably when vaccine comes, that could be the case.

Has the Bundesliga now set the precedent for others to follow?
Whether it’s a precedent, the individual leagues will have to decide. What we have shown is that it can be done successfully, certainly for one match day, and we are more than happy to share with any other leagues, if they want the procedures and guidelines that we have put in place. We are engaging with a number of leagues worldwide, not only on the medical protocol which was put in place for training and match days, but also the wider work that needs support of the local authorities and government to be able to implement it. A holistic approach is needed, and without everyone coming to the table, it’s not possible.

A lot of players could have been hesitant to take the field, particularly with the risks involved. How did the league and the clubs manage to convince all of them to play?
There was no pressure on the players. Clubs had told them, if they had any concerns, like any firm in Germany these days, then you do not have to play. More importantly, right from the start, the clubs and the players have been communicating. As the medical concept was developed, they had a full understanding of what it meant and what the risks were, which is to minimise the risks as much as possible. I’ve spoken to a few players and my feeling is that there was a good level of comfort with the actual procedures in place.

While the two top leagues are allowed to restart their seasons, amateur and youth leagues remain suspended in Germany. Does that not mean there are still risks involved?
The whole Covid situation means this has to be managed carefully. That’s why we are taking one match day at a time. The professional league is a controlled environment, relatively speaking, still there are 300 people per match day going in and out of the stadium, under very tightly controlled procedures. So, obviously when you go down to the amateur level, the risks and control are much harder. That will take a lot of time.

What happens in terms of the next weekend? Do you have meetings to decide on the games or it’s business as usual?
There is a regular contact between the clubs and DFL and local authorities. In the last six weeks, we had general assembly with the clubs on a weekly basis. If there is a situation that arises, then we will discuss at that point. It’s taken on match day by match day basis. So far, we have had a successful match day and there is no positive (

Covid-19

) case.