The successful return of Bundesliga has set the ball rolling for several leagues to resume behind closed doors. With several matches played so far, German top tier clubs have proven that sport can still go on even with the pandemic.
Could this be something the Kenya Premier League could borrow for its own restart?
In Spain, the government’s department for sport has announced La Liga will resume on June 8, following an agreement between the league's management body and Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF).
La Liga president Javier Tebas has stated that it is only important when the season come to an end although they can only be able to congratulate themselves when they commence the following season on the 12th of September 2020
The English Premier League is also on course to resume on June 17 and organisers are keen to complete the remaining fixtures by working closely with clubs to ensure risks are minimised in order to avoid compromising their home advantage.
Bundesliga has indeed shown sports can still be enjoyed by fans globally at the comfort of their homes amid the coronavirus chaos. Players have expressed excitement over the resumption but miss having fans in the stadiums. Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Ghanaian forward Bernard Tekpetey is unhappy by the absence of fans saying the motivation that comes from fans cheering is lacking.
The players have also supported the worldwide Black Lives Matter Movement by displaying anti-racism messages following the death of George Floyd - a black American who died in the hands of a white policeman - a week ago. Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho, Marcus Thuram, Achraf Hakimi and Weston McKennie could have all faced sanctions for their reactions to George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.
But German FA have said they will not take action against Sancho and other players who displayed anti-racism messages. Sancho, who displayed a t-shirt with the message “Justice for George Floyd” after scoring for Dortmund, was shown a yellow card which will not be annulled since he was penalized for removing his shirt. Thuram knelt on one knee after scoring for Borussia Moenchengladbach while Schalke's McKennie wore an armband with the words "justice for George" on it.
This Saturday NTV courtesy of StarTimes, will air the match pitting Fortuna Dusseldorf against Hoffenheim at 4:30pm live from Markup Spiel Arena.
Other Round 30 fixtures will see RB Leipzig host Paderborn, while Bayer Leverkusen take on leaders Bayern Munich. In the late kick-off, Dortmund will play Hertha Berlin.
FIXTURES (all times EAT)
Friday
Freiburg v Borussia Moenchengladbach (2130)
Saturday
RB Leipzig v Paderborn, Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt v Mainz, Fortuna Dusseldorf v Hoffenheim (all 1630), Borussia Dortmund v Hertha Berlin (1930)
Sunday
Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg (1430), Union Berlin v Schalke (1630), Augsburg v Cologne (1900)
