German Bundesliga to resume later this month.

The German Bundesliga will resume later this month after German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that football can resume.

With nine matches remaining, the Bundesliga, along with other competitions approved by the German Football Federation (DFL) were suspended in March amidst the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Officials of the DFL and Bundesliga have since been engaging health authorities ostensibly to find a common ground for the resumption of football. These discussions also included regular player tests, training modules, and whether or not it was safe yet for fan inclusion during live matches.

With these issues concluded with health authorities, broadcast partners, fan representatives, competition sponsors, and the German Bundesliga will now settle on a date and subsequently announce it on Thursday.

Even ahead of Thursday’s announcement, officials have confirmed that the nine remaining matches of the season will all be played behind closed doors.

Speaking moments after Merkel’s announcement, chief executive of the DFL Christian Seifert, talked up why the decision was good.

‘‘Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the Bundesliga 2’’.

‘‘It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organizational requirements in a disciplined manner.

‘‘Games without spectators are not an ideal solution for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form’’ he concluded.

Speaking with more relief and appreciation, was Bayern Munich chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge.

‘‘I would like to thank the politicians for giving today’s decision [and for] the opportunity to finish the Bundesliga season. We are now looking forward to resuming play, ideally from mid-May. This ensures that the sporting decisions are made on the pitch’’ said.

“I appeal to everyone involved to follow the requirements, which are the basis for resuming games, in an exemplary and extremely disciplined manner.”

COVID-19 has so far infected some 167,372 persons in Germany while claiming 6,993 lives. However, 137,400 patients have recovered from the virus.