BERLIN – Bundesliga leaders on Sunday were contemplating tough
choices ahead of Monday's meeting in Frankfurt which is expected to
confirm a suspension of play until early next month.
Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness said "there is no
handbook" on what to do next to deal with the coronavirus emergency
and called on football to be patient.
"We finally have to face reality. We have to wait four weeks, drive
everything down to zero. Maybe we'll have to stop playing football in
October," he said on Sport1 television.
Hoeness' comments came on a weekend which has seen the Bundesliga,
like other major leagues in Europe, suspended because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Monday's meeting of the 36 clubs in the top two divisions (DFL) at a
Frankfurt airport hotel will be both crucial and futile. Matters must
be discussed urgently but decisions, beyond in the shortest-term,
cannot be made.
Although the DFL board has recommended a Bundesliga suspension until
April 2, Berlin's Bundesliga clubs are facing a longer delay after a
ban by city authorities.
Berlin is now banning all public and private events with more than 50
people until at least April 19 in an attempt to stem the spread of
the coronavirus.
That would affect Union Berlin's home matches against Mainz on April
4 and Schalke on April 18, and Hertha Berlin's game against Augsburg
on April 11.
"I think this meeting is important. But almost nothing can be
decided," Hoeness said.
While Hoeness is not ruling anything out, options are already being
narrowed elsewhere.
Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke believes only
closed door games will be possible should the Bundesliga return from
the enforced break.
"If we play again this season, it will be closed door games," Watzke
told broadcaster ARD. "No one in the Bundesliga is still assuming
that we will still have games with fans."
Bayer Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro agreed it could be
the only way to complete the season. "Nobody wants closed door
games," his club quoted him saying. "They go against the whole
purpose of the Bundesliga.
"At the same time, there can be an emergency solution for a proper
end to the season, which is essential economically for many clubs."
Fan groups have already called closed door games unacceptable but
while they would cost clubs millions of euros, they at least would
enable the valuable television contracts to be protected.
The league members are expected to discuss various scenarios,
including the possibility of the season having to be cancelled.
But Carro told dpa: "A cancellation of all competitions is for many
reasons not an option."
Such a scenario could lead to an estimated loss of around 750 million
euros (833.4 million dollars) for the top two divisions.
The loss of television income for the unplayed nine games would be
around 370 million euros from an original pot of 1.4 billion euros.
Self-interest is also certain to play a part with bottom club
Paderborn already setting out their red line regarding relegation.
"It's only unthinkable for us that we end the season now and the two
last clubs are relegated," their three chief executives Martin
Hornberger, Martin Przondziono and Ralf Huschen told the team
homepage in a joint interview.
German broadcaster ZDF said Sunday that European governing body UEFA
would propose delaying the Euros at a video conference of all 55
members on Tuesday, something which seems increasingly impossible to
avoid.
That would give leagues some room to extend their seasons with the
Euros being played either later this year or in summer 2021 if world
governing body FIFA agreed to delay the revamped Club World Cup.
Decisions will also be taken on how to proceed with the Champions
League and Europa League, after upcoming matches in both competitions
this week were postponed.