Bayern star Suele wary of Bundesliga returning too soon

Germany and Bayern Munich defender Niklas Suele admits having mixed feelings about the possible return of German league football next month amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Next Thursday, the German Football League (DFL) plans to meet via video conference with the 36 clubs in the first two leagues to discuss whether matches can resume in early May.

As public events in Germany are banned until Aug. 31, football matches before that date could only be played in near-empty stadiums with fans locked out. If the German authorities give the green light, the Bundesliga could be the first top European league to resume since German league matches were halted on March 13.

Most of the 18 top flight clubs in Germany returned to training last week, albeit with social distancing being observed even on the pitch.

The DFL is determined to finish the season by June 30 to ensure its clubs do not lose out on crucial TV rights revenue, but Suele is sceptical.

“There are many more important things than football at the moment,” the 24-year-old told AFP subsidiary SID.

“Of course I want to get fit and play again, but the important thing is that my family is well, that everyone is healthy.

“As football professionals, we are blessed when we see how many companies have to close or how hard some families are hit. That’s bad.

“Whether we play sooner or later is irrelevant.”

However, Suele admits he would be “very happy if we could start again. Maybe it would also be a little distraction for many fans”.

Suele has returned to training after a serious knee injury last October, and acknowledges that his comeback will probably be in front of empty terraces.

“Of course, during rehab I imagined how nice it would be to run out at the sold-out Allianz Arena (Bayern’s home ground) again,” he said.

“Unfortunately, that’s going to be a thing of the past, but I’d still be happy to be able to play with my team again.”

In Germany, games played behind locked doors are called “ghost games” and Suele insists they are a better option than no matches at all.

“From my point of view, there’s no player anyway who’d rather not play at all than have ghost games,” he added.

Just over 3,500 people have so far died due to the coronavirus in Germany.

Menawhile, playing behind closed doors with cardboard cut-outs of fans on the Moenchengladbach terraces will take some getting used to if German football resumes in May, says one of the few Bundesliga stars to have already played in a near-empty stadium.

“Everyone will have to come to terms with this unusual situation as best they can,” Borussia Moenchengladbach winger Patrick Herrmann told magazine Kicker.

“Other teams will also have to adjust to the special atmosphere in their stadium.”

The Bundesliga has been suspended until at least the end of the month in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

However, Gladbach returned to training last week in small groups at their Borussia Park stadium with life-sized cut-outs of fans on the terraces in a bid to boost morale.

“I was sceptical at first whether all this would have the desired effect,” Herrmann, 29, said of the cut-outs.

“However, the figures come across as great, really close to reality.”

Herrmann admitted applauding the cut-outs when he runs out for training at the stadium, “just like we always do before home games”.

Agencies