JOHANNESBURG – The first light, sporting-wise is breaking through the shutters of an unprecedented worldwide halt to any such activities due to the coronavirus.
Next month, the German football association is planning to fill a smidgen of the void felt by sporting fans around the world by restarting the Bundesliga, with all matches to be completed in that league by the end of June. There will be strict measures in place, the association said this week, as each match will require 230 people to broadcast, officiate and play, and with games completed behind closed doors.
It is a remarkable achievement considering the global climate and has been realised through an equally remarkable lockdown, social distancing and testing programme implemented by the German government.
It is a testament to the human ability to endure in trying times, overcome hardships together and proof that such measures, when correctly implemented and totally embraced by all stakeholders within a society, that a certain degree of normality can be restored in quick order. The Bundesliga restart will no doubt act as a blueprint for all subsequent sporting leagues to follow, but there is presumably still a long road ahead for many in this regard. Nevertheless, seeing live football once again will go a long way in lifting spirits.
Our 2019/20 non-Champions League XI 📋
Agree with the line-up? pic.twitter.com/LGe2Y5t2tU
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) April 21, 2020
Hopefully, countries and their leagues around the world will have the ability to restart their codes sooner rather than later, streaming much-needed relief to our TVs. And yet it must be done with a responsibility to society first in mind. Greed must not be the overriding motivation - and hopefully, the Bundesliga is not one such example - as we all work towards restoring a now altered status quo.
For now, however, we can all start looking forward to watching live football again, even if it is only one league.