Bundesliga officially set to resume on May 16 with Borussia Dortmund in action after German government give green light for return
The German football league have confirmed that the Bundesliga is set to resume on May 16 after getting government approval.
The coronavirus pandemic has seen all football come to an unprecedented standstill, with no balls kicked since March as the world tackles the deadly disease.
The DFL announced the season would resume under the terms of a strict health protocol that bans fans from the stadium, with matches including the Ruhr valley derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 set to take place on the relaunch day.
It means Bundesliga will be the first of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues to resume amid the COVID-19 outbreak after the federal government gave the go-ahead on Wednesday.
Two of Germany's neighbours, the Netherlands and France, have ended their seasons.
Clubs in the top two tiers of German football have been back in training since last month with a view to restarting the 2019/20 season in May.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed on Wednesday that Bundesliga players and staff will not have to quarantine for 14 days due to the clubs' regular testing capacity.
"Testing is regular there, so the quarantine period is not set to 14 days," she said.
While Bavaria minister, Markus Soder, accepted the decision to resume will be seen as controversial. We have agreed sensibly. We know that it is very controversial," he added.
"I know that those responsible in the clubs will do everything possible to comply with the regulations. But the players must also adhere to it."