A quick guide to who's who in the Bundesliga as the season is set to resume this weekend (in order of league standings).
#1. BAYERN MUNICH
Manager: Hans-Dieter Flick
Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski
Professional soccer leagues around Europe are gearing up for a return to action following the novel coronavirus stoppage, but some are more advanced than others. Here is a roundup of the state of play.
GERMANY
The Bundesliga resumes action on Saturday, May 16, with the added intrigue of being one of Europe’s most tightly contested title races. Bayern Munich, in hot pursuit of its eighth straight Meisterschale, has a four-point lead over Borussia Dortmund with nine matches remaining, but both Leipzig and Gladbach are within six points of the leader.
FIFA announced an emergency, temporary change to the substitution rule on Friday, allowing teams five replacements per match, instead of the regular three. The change was a quick reaction to expected fixture congestion as leagues attempt to complete seasons after months-long delays caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. While a fifth option off the bench will certainly help players, the FIFA substitutions rule change highlights how little shits world football’s governing body gives about head injuries.
Ajax is not immune to the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the club will not be strong-armed into cut-price deals for their players in the upcoming transfer window, chief executive Edwin van der Sar said.
The Dutch club has built a reputation as the "talent factory" of European football over the last two decades and earned about $161.7 million last summer as Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt secured high-profile moves to Barcelona and Juventus, respectively.
On Friday, May 8, the K League returns for the 38th season of top-division football in South Korea. Who among us can forget how the 2019 competition ended, with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors capturing the title while Australia international Adam Taggart finished top scorer with 20 goals? What, you don’t remember that?
That’s all poised to change this year with Pohang Steelers, Sangju Sangmu, Costa Rica’s Marco Ureña and Canada’s Doneil Henry ready to storm your TV sets with a bit of live sport on ESPN (at some admittedly ungodly hours).
MANCHESTER, England — The Premier League has not played any matches since March 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but with UEFA having set a deadline of May 25 for leagues to inform them of their re-start plans, the clubs are actively seeking a way to resume the 2019-20 season and finish the remaining nine games.
Doing so would ensure they avoid potential financial penalties from broadcasters, crown the champions and decide the questions of European qualification and relegation.
FIFA medical committee chairman Michel D'Hooghe said soccer Tuesday that should not resume until at least September because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I speak as a medical doctor, I don't speak as an organizer of matches, but for the moment from my medical standpoint, I would be very skeptical," D'Hooghe told Sky Sports.
D'Hooghe warned that a quick resumption of soccer leagues could have serious consequences, as it's "not a matter of money -- it's life or death." He noted that social distancing would be highly difficult amongst players and fans.