As the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world in the early months of this year, nobody would have thought the effect it was going to have on the beautiful game across the world. For the first time since World War II (1939-45), football across Europe and around the world stopped for months.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was so huge that Belgium, the Netherlands and France cancelled their domestic leagues for the season. However, the German government have given football fans across the world some ray of hope by releasing a statement which will allow the German Football Association to restart the Bundesliga from 16th May.
The excitement level of fans is on an all-time high after the announcement by the German government as football resumes in one of the top-five leagues in Europe after two months of lockdown. In this article, we will discuss three things to watch out for as the Bundesliga resumes.
#1 Coping with social distancing rules
Football in Germany is definitely returning which is a happy moment for fans across the world. However, it won’t be the same experience for months to come. The government have given permission to start the league on various conditions.
The conditions are as follows:
A. No fans will be allowed inside the stadium as the government fears that it can turn into a grave situation again if fans are tested positive again.
B. Players can’t celebrate after scoring goals and are told to maintain distance in training.
Fans are eagerly excited to see how the players cope with it as they have always performed in front of an audience. It might be an experience which can have a negative effect on the players’ performances.
On the contrary, players might perform better than before because they will have less pressure to deal with. Whatever happens, the prospect of live football games after months has definitely motivated lots of people around the world.
#2 Title challenge
Before the season, unfortunately, came to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Bundesliga title race was turning out to be a mouthwatering affair for fans across Germany and the world.
For the first time in more than five-six years, the Bundesliga title is being contested among four teams, with fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen also being within shouting distance. Bayern Munich are leading the charge again this season but Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach are following close behind.
The fans will be expecting the title race to go on until the last game of the season in order to watch a more competitive league. In the previous seasons, even after leading the way, Dortmund and Monchengladbach faltered at crucial junctures to hand over the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich.
A more competitive league will definitely help the Bundesliga to create a much better market for itself across the world like the Premier League has done.
#3 Knowing the real meaning of football as it’s meant to be
Bundesliga is one of the most exciting leagues in the world and has a huge fan following, owing to the exciting and free-flowing style of play adopted by the German teams.
The Bundesliga averages three goals per game which is the highest among the top five leagues in Europe. Now the fans of Spanish, Italian, English and French football would be looking at the Bundesliga with more interest and excitement.
The fans will get to see some of the finest young talents of world football – Jadon Sancho, Alphonso Davies and Erling Haaland among others – in action after a while.
The experience of watching the Bundesliga will be different for fans of the Serie A and La Liga, mostly because they are not used to such high-speed football. The Italian teams mostly play with a defensive mindset, while the Spanish clubs are more technical in nature.
The Bundesliga is expecting a world record viewership as it’s the first top European league to resume. After two months of lockdown, this is a welcome relief for football fans all around the globe and not just in Germany.
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