‘Not concluding this season’s Bundesliga will be a disaster’

RB Leipzig CEO, Oliver Mintzlaff, believes it will be an “absolute disaster” if this season’s Bundesliga is not completed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Germany has started easing lockdown measures implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19, however, large gatherings remain banned until the end of August.

That decision effectively removes the possibility of the Bundesliga being finished with fans in the stadium.There is hope it can be finished behind closed doors and Mintzlaff sees this as a necessity to prevent several clubs being condemned to financial ruin.

In an interview with General Anzeiger, Mintzlaff said of not finishing the season: “That would be an absolute disaster because it could lead many clubs to bankruptcy.

“We love the diversity of the Bundesliga and every fan wants it to continue. Therefore we want to do everything possible to prevent this disaster.“We still believe that games without viewers can be implemented relatively quickly. To do this, for example, we have to make sure that 200 to 300 people can go to the stadiums to ensure a smooth match day.

“We clubs are of course also asked to support the whole thing with our medical departments, so, next week at the general meeting of the DFL [German Football League] we will ideally come to a conclusion on how games can be played without spectators.

“I expect the issue to be decided at the next Ministerial Conference with the Chancellor on April 30.”Asked how the absence of fans would impact the games, he replied: “It will be exciting to see which teams can cope better with this and which teams lack support in the stadium.

“It will be an interesting story that we cannot predict because we have all never experienced it like this.”Leipzig are third in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Bayern Munich with nine games to play.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side were one of the teams to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, beating Tottenham in the last 16, prior to football across Europe being brought to a standstill.