Germany: The world hails the return of football, Bayern starts back on track

On Sunday 17 May, the world of football was celebrating the Bundesliga’s triumphant return to the pitch. The first major European Sport league to get off to a flying start after the interruption imposed by the coronavirus.

The risks of infection, the very restrictive health protocol, and the bad mood of the supporters opposed to the closed-door event are taking a back seat. However, Sky’s star consultant, former international, Dietmar Hamann, summed it up well when he called “dance on the razor’s edge”.

Always quick to flatter national pride, the popular daily Bild announces in its headline. The world celebrates our Bundesliga and quotes several football stars who have expressed themselves on social networks.

“They say it; they do it. Thank you, Bundesliga.” Zlatan Ibrahimovic, write this currently under contract with AC Milan. On Saturday 16 May, world champion Kylian Mbappe had made it known that he was following the matches.

“It was strange not having the fans, as expected,” said Manchester City’s German international Ilkay Gundogan. But it’s still nice to finally see football again after such a long period.
Others, such as Radamel Falcao, also wonder whether the health measures imposed on German football have gone too far.

In the international press, it is also the enthusiasm of a return to “normal” life that dominates. “Wunderbar” (“Wonderful”), the German-language title of the British newspaper Mirror on Sunday. “The Germans got themselves up and running very quickly while we were still talking” notes the former Bayern star.

However, the return to the field was not easy for everyone after two months of confinement, where new reflexes acquired theirs in everyday life.

With a touch of humour, Frankfurt’s sporting director Fredi Bobic commented on the two goals his team conceded in the first seven minutes against Monchengladbach (3-1 defeat): “We were in the coronavirus mood in the first few minutes and we respected the rules of social distancing. It’s just stupid that we did it in our penalty area!”

On Sunday 17 May, Bayern Munich’s stars had to prove that they were back in competition mode.

The Bavarian outfit, who are seeking their eighth Bundesliga title in a row, will be keen to get back to winning ways in Berlin. They had won 15 of their 16 matches in all competitions before the break, and just won easily their 4 games since the return,

“Everything is starting from scratch, and we hope that in the end, we’ll have more points than our opponents,” said coach Hansi Flick. Bayern will use it quickly, as they have only a small lead over second-placed Dortmund.