All eyes will be on the Bundesliga this weekend as top-flight professional football in Europe will make its return for the first time in two months.
The coronavirus pandemic put a halt to proceedings in March and there has been much debate over whether football should return or not. Non-League football in England has been concluded along with the French and Dutch leagues but the financial implications of doing this in the Premier League and Championship will be detrimental so is it safe for the season to restart?
The Premier League has put necessary safety measures in place to get the season back up and running next month including individual training sessions, use of face protection, disinfecting the playing environment and other necessary social distancing procedures such as video calls for team and coach meetings as well as regular medical checks and testing 48 hours before training sessions and matches.
However, some players and staff are still concerned about the return as there is still a risk and teams will need to self-isolate for 14 days if a staff member is tested positive which will cause complications with rearranging fixtures. Also, the Premier League is intending to play at club venues rather than neutral venues as clubs battling relegation were strongly opposed to the latter and would only have agreed if relegation was scrapped. Another issue is that players like to travel with their families, therefore, a player who receives a negative test may become infected by a family member, although there are measures for players to self-isolate after tests, teams need to ensure their mental health is looked after by not isolating them from loved ones.
As a whole, the debate of whether the Premier League should return has created a divide among fans, players etc. We love nothing more for football to return to lift our spirits but only if it’s safe to do so and it doesn’t take up the capacity of emergency services. With games having to be played behind closed doors, the excitement of the game is somewhat deprived since communities are unable to congregate to enjoy the beautiful game. Without doubt, every football fan is eagerly anticipating the return of the game but when it does so, it’ll be a mixture of excitement and hollowness.
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