The German football league, the DFL, has announced that the Bundesliga will return on Saturday, May 16, 2020.
Having been in a state of indefinite postponement since mid-February, the green light has been given for players to take to the field once more. And as of now, Bundesliga is the first and only major football league to be back in action from the Covid-19 lockdowns.
As Bundesliga’s strategic partner, digital TV operator StarTimes will broadcast all matches live and exclusive in Africa.
StarTimes Sport Director Shi Maochu said “It has been a tough period for football fans around the world. We are very happy to have StarTimes bring back live football in Africa, and even more as it is one of the best leagues in the world. I can’t wait to watch these great clubs, Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke 04 and others play again.”
All matches will be broadcast on StarTimes’ 5 sport channels, live and in HD, and on the streaming mobile application StarTimes ON, for fans to watch games concurrently on several devices and not miss any minute of the live action.
With nine round of matches left to play, leaders Bayern Munich are only four points ahead of Borussia Dortmund, while RB Leipzig sit a point behind Lucien Favre’s side in third.
The restart plan outlined by DFL president Christian Seifert involves six games taking place on the opening Saturday, with Borussia Dortmund’s derby with Schalke among them. Defending champions Bayern Munich will be back in action a day later, as they take in a trip to Union Berlin.
The latest round of matches in the German top-flight will be completed on Monday May 18, when Werder Bremen play host to Bayer Leverkusen.
The final match-day of the 2019-20 campaign is scheduled for the weekend of June 27-28, 2020.
A series of strict protective measures will be implemented to avoid the spread of the virus and all games will be played behind closed doors.