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European football leagues (La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, etc.) 2019-20 Discussion Thread

Spanish Supercup-Real Madrid 0-0 Atletico Madrid after Extra time.

Real Madrid won 4-1 on penalties to win the Spanish Supercup.

Serie A- Roma 1-2 Juventus

Ligue 1- PSG 3-3 Monaco
 
Barcelona have sacked coach Ernesto Valverde and replaced him with former Real Betis coach Quique Setien.

Valverde, 55, helped the club to two successive La Liga titles and they lead on goal difference this season.

However, the Catalan side have produced a series of unconvincing displays under his leadership and have failed to reach the Champions League final.

Setien, 61, led Betis to their highest finish since 2005 and to the Copa del Rey semis before leaving in May.

He has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal and will be presented to the media at 13:30 GMT on Tuesday.

In a statement, Barca said they had reached an agreement with Valverde to terminate his contract and thanked him "for his professionalism, his commitment, his dedication and his always positive treatment towards all that make up the Barca family".

Setien's success at Betis
Valverde was under pressure towards the end of last season following the ignominious Champions League semi-final defeat by Liverpool, having led 3-0 after the first leg, and the Copa del Rey final loss to Valencia.

The defeat by the Reds particularly rankled, because it was reminiscent of the collapse at the hands of Roma in the competition the previous season and suggested he had failed to correct a weaknesses in his team.

Valverde did guide the Catalans to the top of the table at the halfway stage of this season, but the fluid displays that fans had become accustomed to during the past 15 years were only sporadic.

Their away form was especially disappointing with losses at Athletic Bilbao, Granada and Levante plus draws at Osasuna, Real Sociedad and Espanyol.

Setien arrives at the Nou Camp as a highly-regarded coach.

After managing lower-league sides, he led Las Palmas to 11th in La Liga - their best finish for 40 years - and enjoyed further success at Betis, where in his first season he led them to sixth place and qualification for the Europa League.

Betis also secured wins over Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid during his two-year tenure. He left the Seville outfit by mutual consent in the summer.

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi had been strongly linked with the head coach's role. He confirmed media reports that he spoke to the club's sporting director Eric Abidal and chief executive Oscar Grau over the weekend, before he reportedly rejected the club's offer,.

Other names to have been linked with the club included former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, who managed rivals Espanyol, and current B team manager Xavi Garcia Pimienta.

'Setien is a devout disciple of Cruyffian football' - analysis
Spanish football expert Andy West

The most surprising thing about Ernesto Valverde being fired by Barcelona is that it took so long to happen.

Ever since that earth-shattering night at Anfield in May, Valverde never really looked capable of turning around the team's pretty aimless path.

Now that task will fall to former Las Palmas and Real Betis manager Quique Setien, who will be fervently focused on restoring the team's famed fast-paced, high-pressing, incisive-passing style, which had been slowly eroded by the more pragmatic Valverde.

Setien - whose stubborn nature makes him a divisive figure across Spain - is a devout disciple of Cruyffian football, and from now on it is certain that Barca will once again play 'Barca' football.

Whether they can play it well, though, is another matter - the ageing legs of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba may struggle to maintain the physical intensity required to make that approach successful, and the coming months will be fascinating test of whether a high-minded football philosophy can still deliver results.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51099632
 
Real Madrid moved three points clear of champions Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a hard-earned victory against Sevilla at the Bernabeu.

Brazil midfielder Casemiro scored twice for Zinedine Zidane's side, either side of Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong's exquisite, curled equaliser.

Luka Jovic's clever backheeled pass had allowed Casemiro to break Sevilla's resistance after 57 minutes.

Casemiro then headed in the eventual winner from a Lucas Vazquez cross.

Barcelona can return to the summit on goal difference when they host Granada on Sunday.

Visitors Sevilla, who remain fourth following the defeat, made a confident start as ex-Real boss Julen Lopetegui's side looked to close to within two points of the top two.

De Jong was denied a first-half opener from a corner after a video assistant referee review showed Nemanja Gudelj had blocked Eder Militao as the Real defender attempted to follow De Jong's run.

Real had to remain patient until Jovic's assist for Casemiro provided the game's first spark of creativity, but Sevilla responded just seven minutes later as De Jong converted brilliantly into the opposite corner from just inside the box.

They were unable to make Real sweat for too long, however, as Casemiro claimed his second and the hosts, crowned Spanish Super Cup champions last weekend, were able to hold on.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51163398
 
Quique Setien suffered his first defeat as Barcelona manager as Valencia claimed their first home win over the Spanish champions since 2007.

The hosts broke the deadlock when Jordi Alba deflected Maxi Gomez's powerful strike past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Gomez, who had a first-half penalty saved by Ter Stegen, completed the scoring in the second half.

There were unsavoury scenes before the game as rival fans clashed outside the Mestalla Stadium.

Setien had enjoyed a good start to his Barca reign, guiding the club to victories over Granada in La Liga and UD Ibiza in the Copa del Rey round of 32.

The visitors were quick to gain a stranglehold on possession but were almost non-existent as an attacking force in the first half, with Valencia enjoying the better of the early chances.

Los Che were gifted a golden opportunity to take the lead when Gerard Pique felled Gomez inside the penalty area, but the Uruguayan's spot-kick was superbly palmed to safety by Ter Stegen.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper had to be on his toes moments later to parry another Gomez effort on to the woodwork, before tipping Kevin Gameiro's follow-up past the post at full stretch.

Barcelona started the second half with greater purpose and Ansu Fati almost fashioned an opening after combining well with Lionel Messi, but the teenager could only poke his shot straight at Jaume Domenech in the Valencia goal.

Messi appeared eager to take matters into his own hands as the second half progressed, dragging a fierce low effort wide of the far post before heading off target from Antoine Griezmann's delivery.

Gomez ended the visitors' hopes of a late revival with 13 minutes remaining, curling into the far corner after Ferran Torres had broken clear down the right wing.

Former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista thought he had made it 3-0 late on, but the Brazilian's volley was disallowed for an infringement inside the Barcelona box.

Second-placed Real Madrid can move three points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga if they win their game in hand at Real Valladolid on Sunday.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51249888

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GOAL - Real 1-0 Atletico
Karim Benzema (56 mins)
 
Inter Milan completed a stunning second-half fightback and claimed top spot in Serie A with a 4-2 triumph over AC Milan.

AC Milan dominated the first half at the San Siro, with goals from Ante Rebic (40), and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the stroke of half-time giving them a deserved double lead at the break.

But Marcelo Brozovic and Matias Vecino struck twice in as many minutes early in the second half to bring the hosts level in a breathless Milan derby.

Stefan De Vrij completed the turnaround on 70 minutes when his diving header from a corner looped into the far corner to make it 3-2 to Antonio Conte's side.

Ibrahimovic came agonisingly close to making it 3-3 when his last-minute header struck the post, and Romelu Lukaku capped off a stunning second-half fightback with a header from a Victor Moses cross in the dying seconds.

AC Milan started off dominating from the early stages as Hakan Calhanoglu almost broke the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes with a low drive from distance which smacked off the far post.

Inter looked second best throughout the first half, but went close twice with Diego Godin heading a corner inches wide and Vecino firing a tame first-time effort straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma from inside the area.

The visitors made the pressure count five minutes from the break when Ibrahimovic rose over Godin to nod down a cross into the path of Rebic, who anticipated Padelli to prod the ball into an empty net.

Ibrahimovic doubled Milan's lead on the stroke of half-time when Calhanoglu's corner was knocked on by Franck Kessie and Daniele Padelli could not keep out the Swede's headed effort.

Inter came racing out the blocks in the second half and halved the deficit when Brozovic's sweet volley from outside the box beat Donnarumma to give the hosts a lifeline.

Two minutes later, Alexis Sanchez was teed up inside the box in front of Donnarumma, and the Chilean's cut-back found Vecino who tapped in to make it 2-2.

Conte's side took the lead when De Vrij then met an outswinging corner at the near post and sent a diving header up and over Donnarumma and in.

Former Spurs man Christian Eriksen entered the fray in the final 15 minutes and almost sent San Siro into raptures when his 35-yard free kick crashed off the upright.

AC Milan went all-in in the final minutes to find an equaliser, clinging on to their talisman Ibrahimovic, and the Swede came inches close to a last-minute equaliser with a header from close range that struck the post.

Eventually, it proved vital as Lukaku completed the comeback when he connected with a Moses cross and sent a towering header in the net to claim a priceless three points.

Inter host Napoli in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday before travelling to Lazio for a top-of-the-table clash in Serie A on Sunday.

AC Milan will also take part in the domestic cup as they welcome Juventus at the San Siro on Thursday night. They then host Torino in their next Serie A game the following Monday

https://www.skysports.com/football/inter-vs-ac-milan/419297
 
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele will be sidelined for six months following surgery on a serious hamstring tear.

The France international, 22, was on his way back to full fitness following another thigh injury when he pulled out of training last week.

Dembele has suffered several injuries - in both legs - since joining the La Liga champions from Dortmund in 2017.

He has played only three full games this season, missing 63 games in all competitions at Barca through injury.

Dembele, a member of France's World Cup-winning squad, is expected to miss Euro 2020.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51467123
 
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Barcelona have denied hiring a firm to produce disparaging social media posts aimed at its own players such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.

A radio station claim Barcelona wanted to protect the reputation of president Josep Maria Bartomeu and damage the image of those who disagreed with him.

SER Catalunya said the club worked with a company "that creates opinion" on social media accounts to achieve that.

But Barcelona say they "roundly deny any relationship" with the accounts.

Barcelona given permission to make emergency signing
"The club demands an immediate rectification of the information published and reserves the right to exercise legal action against those who continue to implicate the club in such practices," a statement added.

According to a podcast show on SER Catalunya the company, I3 Ventures, manage "dozens of accounts on Twitter and Facebook".

It says through these accounts attacks were made on Messi, Pique, former manager Pep Guardiola, ex-players Xavi and Carles Puyol and some of Bartomeu's presidential rivals.

The podcast claims Barcelona found the posts "necessary to preserve the reputation of the president and the brand".

In response, Barcelona say I3 Ventures is a service provider to the club but "has no relationship with the accounts mentioned and, if any relationship were to come to light, the club would immediately end their contractual agreement and bring about any necessary legal action to defend their interests".

It added: "As such, FC Barcelona confirm it has services contracted relating to the monitoring of social media with the aim of analysing both positive and negative messages about the organisation itself."

Barcelona says the "protection of this reputation is a fundamental element and responsibility for those who work for the organisation".



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51537554
 
A number of football matches in Italy have been postponed over fears of the spread of coronavirus.

A woman from the northern region of Lombardy is the second person in Italy to die from the virus in the past 24 hours.

Cremonese's Serie B match against Ascoli and Piacenza v Sambenedettese in Serie C are among those postponed.

Serie D matches and a number of amateur and youth games in the Lombardy and Veneto regions are also called off.

The Cremonese squad had already travelled to Ascoli's Cino e Lillo Del Duca Stadium in the central Marche region of the country before being informed that the game had been postponed.

Several towns in the Lombardy region have been placed on lockdown, with schools and offices closed and residents urged to stay away from accident and emergency departments.

The new virus, which originated last year in the Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19.

China has reported 75,567 cases of the virus, including 2,239 deaths.

Outside China, more than 1,200 cases of the virus have been confirmed in 26 countries and there have been at least eight deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51596258
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">696 goals.<br>306 assists.<br><br>Lionel Messi has now scored or assisted more than 1,000 goals for club and country 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/Z1vGsjACDE">pic.twitter.com/Z1vGsjACDE</a></p>— B/R Football (@brfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1231286280912330757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You wait four games for a Messi goal then he scores a 40-minute hat-trick 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/QRZ7tUCSkh">pic.twitter.com/QRZ7tUCSkh</a></p>— B/R Football (@brfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1231244954397237253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
AdamM97 said:
Marcelo celebrating a tackle as if he just scored the winning goal in 90’ :)))

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kVWc1E8HKH8
Click to expand...

Well, that reaction was justified to be honest.

Marcelo has been struggling to find form for quite some time now, and has been regularly booed by Madrid fans, which has led him to be benched more often.

His tackle denied what was going to be an easy Messi goal, as the latter was going one on one against Courtois.
 
Waleed93 said:
Well, that reaction was justified to be honest.

Marcelo has been struggling to find form for quite some time now, and has been regularly booed by Madrid fans, which has led him to be benched more often.

His tackle denied what was going to be an easy Messi goal, as the latter was going one on one against Courtois.
Click to expand...

True. The tackle was brilliant.

I just found the whole thing hilarious, that’s all.
 
Juventus have announced that Italy centre-back Daniele Rugani has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Serie A side said they are "activating all the isolation procedures required by law", including for those who have come into contact with Rugani.

The club added that Rugani, 25, is "currently asymptomatic".

All sport in Italy is suspended until 3 April, with the country in lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Rugani has made only seven appearances for Juventus this season and was an unused substitute in his side's last match - a 2-0 win over Inter Milan held behind closed doors on Sunday.

Inter, whose Europa League game against Getafe that was set for Thursday has been postponed, said that "all competitive activities are suspended until further notice" following Rugani's positive test.

They added: "The club is taking steps to prepare all necessary procedures."

Meanwhile, Rugani's Welsh clubmate Aaron Ramsey is likely to miss his country's friendlies this month as a result of the nationwide lockdown in Italy.

Rugani has won four Serie A titles with Juve and played for Italy seven times, last featuring for the national team in 2018.

On Sunday he posted a photograph from the dressing room as he celebrated Juve's win over Inter with his team-mates.

On Wednesday, the Italian government announced more measures, including the closure of all shops except food stores and pharmacies.

Italy has more than 12,000 confirmed cases and a death toll of 827.

The Italian football federation said after a meeting on Tuesday that the Serie A season may not finish because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Alternative options include staging play-offs, not having a champion for 2019-20 or declaring the current standings final.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51844945
 
Spanish top flight La Liga has been suspended for "at least the next two rounds of matches" as a result of the Real Madrid squad going into quarantine because of coronavirus.

It comes after a Real Madrid basketball player, who shares training facilities with the La Liga club, tested positive for the virus.

Real are due to play at Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Spanish club has closed the facilities of its sports city.

"The recommendation has been made to quarantine both the basketball first team and the football first team, given that the two squads share facilities in Ciudad Real Madrid," a Real statement said.

The Spanish second division has also been suspended and La Liga said it will "revaluate" the situation following the completion of quarantine "in the affected clubs and other possible situations that may arise".

Real, who are second in La Liga, were due to host Eibar on Friday and had already cancelled all pre-match media duties.

The coronavirus outbreak, now declared a pandemic, has led to widespread disruption of sporting fixtures around the world.

In Italy, all sport is suspended, including Serie A until 3 April, with the country in lockdown.

Juventus and Italy centre-back Daniele Rugani says he is "fine" after testing positive for the virus, and Reuters have reported that the entire Juve squad will spend two weeks in quarantine.

Two Europa League last-16 first-leg fixtures scheduled for Thursday have been postponed and a number will be played behind closed doors, including Manchester United's trip to LASK.

Basketball's NBA has been suspended and McLaren have pulled out of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix after after a team member tested positive for the virus.

Governing body Uefa will hold video conference meetings on Tuesday to discuss European football's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

It has invited representatives of its 55 member associations, plus the boards of the European Club Association, the European leagues and a representative of world players' union Fifpro.

Discussions will cover all domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020.




https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51853524
 
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar remain the three best-paid footballers in the world, according to a study by France Football magazine.

The study estimates the income of the world's highest-paid players by adding their estimated gross salaries and income from image rights to bonuses earned last season.

As a result, the publication calculates Barcelona star Messi's total annual income as 131 million euros ($141 million).

That puts the Argentine ahead of Ronaldo, with the Portuguese forward second on the list with 118 million euros of estimated income.

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazil star Neymar, who moved to France from Barcelona for a world record transfer fee in 2017, is third on the list with total pay of 95 million euros, way ahead of Real Madrid's Gareth Bale.

The Welshman is fourth on the list with 38.7 million euros.

Meanwhile, according to the magazine, Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone is the best-paid coach with total wages of 40.5 million euros, way ahead of Antonio Conte at Inter Milan on 30 million euros and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City on 27 million euros.

https://www.france24.com/en/2020032...he-world-s-best-paid-footballers-study-claims
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">European football's leagues and competitions remain hopeful of finishing the season by June 30, following an opening round of talks this week.</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1242790915187630081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Coronavirus: What is the state of play in Europe’s major leagues?

Bundesliga – some clubs return to training

La Liga – late May return is best-case scenario

Ligue 1 – Restart considered in June

Serie A – hoping to test players in May

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52283194
 
Italy's 20 Serie A teams have unanimously agreed they should try and complete the 2019-20 season which is currently at a standstill because of the coronavirus outbreak.
 
Serie A sides will be allowed to return to individual training on 4 May and team training on 18 May after the Italian prime minister announced the first steps in lifting the country's coronavirus lockdown.

There are hopes Serie A fixtures could resume between 27 May and 2 June - with an end date for the season of early August.

However, there was no formal announcement on the possibility of when Serie A might resume, even behind closed doors.

Parks will also reopen in the country, which has Europe’s highest official death toll.

Italy reported 260 new deaths on Sunday - the lowest daily toll since 14 March.

When might Europe's top leagues return from coronavirus suspension?

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a televised address that players would be able "to undertake training individually from 4 May, in groups from 18 May, and then we’ll evaluate if there are the conditions to allow the season to be completed".

He added: “Right now, we need to complete all the discussions to ensure that if we do reach that stage, we’ll do so in the utmost safety and security. We are passionate about sport and don’t want our athletes to get sick.

"I'm passionate for football. Like many Italians, I initially found it strange that the championship could be interrupted or suspended but I think that even the most ardent fan understands that there wasn't an alternative."

Conte added that when “phase two” of the the lockdown plan begins on 4 May with the easing of restrictions, social distancing of at least one metre must be maintained and this extends to two metres when exercising.

The lifting of measures in Italy will be watched with interest by other countries in Europe. In the UK, the government is this week planning to set up the first of a series of regular meetings involving senior medical directors of the major sports in a bid to return to action as soon as possible.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) hopes to begin testing players for the virus at the start of May to allow for a safe return to training and has already drawn up a medical protocol.

For the start of training, each club will form a group of players, technical staff, doctors and physiotherapists who will be tested and then isolated in a summer-style training camp.

There are also plans to donate five Covid test kits for each kit used by clubs to avoid the criticism that football is taking away much-needed resources from other areas.

Serie A was suspended on 9 March and a number of players tested positive for the virus. The league has insisted it is committed to finishing the season.

The FIGC said on Thursday it would push back the formal end of the season from 30 June to 2 August to allow time for remaining games to be completed.

There are 12 full rounds and four outstanding fixtures still to play, with Juventus top, a point ahead of Lazio.

There have been voices against a resumption, including Brescia president Massimo Cellino, whose side are bottom of the table. He has said he is ready to forfeit the club’s remaining games if the season resumes.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52436317
 
Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, has not yet made a decision on restarting Serie A football, but gave the green light for players in the country’s top league to resume training in a week’s time.

As Conte unveiled the first details of how the country will emerge from its lockdown, he said individual athletes would be allowed to resume training on 4 May, while teams could start to train together again on 18 May, AFP reports.

But Conte did not say when Serie A might resume the current season, which was interrupted on 9 March with Juventus leading Lazio by a point.

“The championship will start again only when it is safe,” Conte told the nation in a televised address.

Italian football chiefs agreed on Thursday to push back the end of the Serie A season from June 30 to August 2.
 
BREAKING: Ligue 1 season cancelled in France as government confirms ban on football until September

The French football season has been ended after the country’s government announced that no large sporting events will be allowed to take place until at least September, even if they are behind closed doors.

The verdict means that the top two flights of French domestic football will not be able to complete their remaining fixtures, while the French Cup final between St. Etienne and Paris Saint-Germain will not be played.

Ligue 1 becomes the first of Europe’s top five leagues to be cancelled because of the pandemic. PSG are currently 12 points clear at the top of the table with 11 games left to play, one more than second-placed Marseille. Toulouse sit bottom, 13 points adrift of safety, with Amiens and Nimes also in the relegation zone, though the latter are only three points behind St. Etienne and Dijon.

No decision has yet been taken over the awarding of titles or promotions and relegations, with reports in France suggesting that the Ligue de Football Professionnel will meet next month to decide the outcomes.

The same goes for European qualification, with Uefa announcing last week that individual leagues will be allowed to decide on a system based on ‘sporting merit’ to allocate teams to next year’s Champions League and Europa League in the event of seasons finishing incomplete.

It remains to be seen what the decision means for both PSG and Lyon, who are still in this season’s Champions League. The former have already reached the quarter-finals after seeing off Borussia Dortmund in the last-16, while the latter have every chance of joining them, having won the first leg of their own last-16 tie against Juventus before the shutdown kicked in.

More than 23,000 people have been confirmed to have died after being infected with coronavirus in France, making it one of the world’s worst-hit nations.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/ligue-1-season-cancelled-france-ban-football-a4426286.html
 
Ligue 1: Neymar & Mbappe's future and how will positions be decided?

"It won't be possible to do sport in covered areas, nor practice team or contact sports," said France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday.

"Events gathering more than 5,000 participants cannot be staged until September."

And so were skewered the French Football League's (LFP) hopes of professional football returning on 17 June, a full month after France is supposed to ease the lockdown restrictions that for six weeks have suffocated but not stamped out coronavirus.

So what happens now?

The league table

The clamour to claim the 15m euros (£12.91m) teams get just for qualifying for the Champions League group stage is a pretty penny that has - predictably - already seen things get ugly.

No sooner had the Ligue 1 season been suspended in mid-March than Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and his Marseille counterpart, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, launched into an unsightly public spat.

Aulas claimed last season's final placings should be used to determine next season's European participants; Eyraud disagreed. Aulas' Lyon side finished third in 2018-19, Marseille were out of European competition in fifth. Guess which team was in seventh and whose in second when play was halted this term?

Aulas' suggestion is not one of three possible scenarios set out by an LFP working group, though. They are:

base the final standings on a points-per-game average
finalise the table on the last full round of games played - 27 in the case of Ligue 1
take the standings as they were after 19 matches, the halfway point of the season
The solution is now likely to be decided by a general assembly vote of France's professional clubs.

In all three cases, the current top four would stay the same, happily fulfilling Uefa's hope that the 2020-21 European participants would be decided on "sporting merit" - Paris St-Germain as champions and Marseille would qualify for the Champions League group stage with Rennes heading into the third qualifying round.

Lille would finish fourth to take Ligue 1's only Europa League qualifying place.

However, if the two Europa League places available from the domestic cup competitions are given to the teams finishing fifth and sixth in the league, expect squabbling: Lyon, Montpellier, Reims, Nantes and Nice would all have a claim.

While the third promotion/relegation place - decided by a play-off in normal circumstances - is likely to not be attributed, L1 strugglers Toulouse and Amiens are set to be relegated, replaced by Ligue 2 top two Lorient and Lens.

PSG's Champions League hopes dashed

Winning a ninth league title in these circumstances will sting, especially as Thomas Tuchel's men were 12 points clear and would have matched arch-rival Marseille's nine French crowns at a canter.

But they also wanted to equal Marseille in another way, by becoming France's second Champions League winner.

After getting over the formidable obstacle of Borussia Dortmund and clearing an even bigger psychological barrier to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in four attempts, PSG were looking good.

Neymar - key against Dortmund - was playing well and, crucially, for the team, Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria were in sizzling form.

For the first time since Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011 and stated they wanted to claim European football's premier prize, PSG looked in a promising position to do it.

"If it's not possible to play in France, we'll play our matches abroad," PSG chief executive and chairman Nasser Al Khelaifi said of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Bold and bullish in the boardroom then, but the reality on the pitch could be very different.

If Uefa manage to stage the remaining ties, Tuchel would have to mould his side into shape - mentally and physically - for potentially five top-grade matches with no competitive football in their legs between now and the end of August when the Champions League final might be staged.

Should the other leagues restart, PSG would be at a massive disadvantage.

Mbappe, Neymar and the mercato

The Spanish press have been getting excited over the possibility of seeing both of PSG's crown jewels in La Liga next season. Mbappe has made little secret of his love of Real Madrid and hero-worship of manager Zinedine Zidane, while Neymar had already pushed hard to move back to Barcelona last summer.

Will they go this time? Unlikely.

Mbappe will be in a stronger bargaining position in 2021 with a year left on his contract and - according to recent reports in France - the Emir of Qatar's "will" is for the World Cup winner to stay.

The same goes for Neymar, another favourite of the Gulf state's ruler, and he too has another two years on his PSG deal.

Most significantly, the tears that flooded from him after qualifying behind closed doors against Dortmund, and the acclaim of the fans outside the Parc des Princes' locked gates, suggested his Nou Camp nostalgia is no more.

A thornier question for other less financially muscled French clubs will be how to hold on to their best players in the summer transfer window, if there is a mercato, as it's known in France.

The money

"This stoppage raises other problems, one of which is decisive, the economic one," said Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas who, while hailing a "logical" decision by the government, added soberly: "The survival of the clubs depends on it."

In France, arguably even more than anywhere else, the money is a pressing issue. The current TV rights deal is due to expire at the season's end with the new contract, largely financed by Mediapro, worth 60% more, tipping the Ligue 1 clubs' pot over the 1bn euros (£0.86bn) mark.

Clubs were desperate to finish the 20190-20 campaign though as they were reliant on the more than 200m euros due as the final slice of the cake broadcasters Canal+ and BeIN SPORTS had shared for the last four years. Most of that sum now looks highly unlikely to be paid.

With nearly 40% of Ligue 1 outfits' budgets coming from the TV deal, and Rennes currently the only top-flight side whose players have agreed to a wage cut, the future of some clubs is in the balance.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52463900
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bayern Munich remain determined to sign Leroy Sane from Manchester City this summer despite the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sky Germany.</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1255873937050918913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Paris St-Germain have been awarded the Ligue 1 title after it was announced the season would not resume because of the coronavirus pandemic.

PSG were 12 points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand, when French football was suspended indefinitely on 13 March.

Earlier this week, France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe cancelled the 2019-20 sporting season.

French football's governing body had hoped to resume the season on 17 June.

Lorient have been crowned Ligue 2 champions. They were just one point above Lens when the season was suspended and both teams will be promoted.

Amiens and Toulouse will be relegated from Ligue 1.

"There might be appeals but our decisions are solid," said Didier Quillot, the chief executive of the French League (LFP).

Quillot added the LFP had until 25 May to tell Uefa which clubs will be qualified for European competitions.

That is the same day by which European leagues have to tell European football's governing body whether they want to complete or cancel their seasons.

The Dutch top flight was abandoned on Friday with no promotion or relegation and no champions, while on Monday Belgian clubs postponed a vote on confirming the cancellation of their top flight until next week.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52484926
 
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England right-back Kieran Trippier has been charged with misconduct for alleged breaches of the Football Association's betting rules.

The alleged offences occurred in July 2019, which is when Trippier joined Atletico Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur.

The 29-year-old has until 18 May to provide a response.

"I have fully complied with the FA’s investigation over the past several months on a voluntary basis and will continue to do so," Trippier said.

"I want to make it clear that while a professional footballer, I have at no stage placed any football-related bets or received any financial benefit from others betting."

The FA said the charge relates to rules where:

a participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on – (i) the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a football match or competition; or (ii) any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world, including, for example and without limitation, the transfer of players, employment of managers, team selection or disciplinary matters.

or where a participant provides to any other person any information relating to football which the participant has obtained by virtue of his or her position within the game and which is not publicly available at that time, the participant shall be in breach of this rule where any of that information is used by that other person for, or in relation to, betting.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52508440
 
Barcelona players will be tested for Covid-19 at the club's training ground on Wednesday before resuming individual work "in the coming days".

La Liga teams have been given permission to return to training this week following the easing of some restrictions by the government.

Barca say the league "gave the go-ahead" for testing after inspecting the facilities at their training ground.

La Liga organisers are aiming for a June restart to the season.

Players from the top two divisions will train individually after an agreement with Spain's sports and health authorities that guaranteed the safety of both players and staff.

Football in Spain was suspended indefinitely in March amid the coronavirus pandemic and all players must be tested before they can return to training facilities.

When might Europe's top leagues return?

The country's top division has created detailed protocols for the return to training so proper health safeguards are observed. Part of this involves training sessions progressing from individual to small groups and then team training.

"These measures cover a period of approximately four weeks with different phases that, in any case, will be subject to the de-escalation process established by the government," a La Liga statement read.

There are 11 rounds of matches remaining, with Barcelona top of the table, two points clear of Real Madrid.
 
The Bundesliga could be given the green light for a return on Wednesday with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel set to announce a start date.
 
BREAKING: Bundesliga to return this month

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Bundesliga clear to resume without fans this month after German chancellor Angela Merkel gives government approval</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1258026463829377026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Firebat said:
BREAKING: Bundesliga to return this month

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Bundesliga clear to resume without fans this month after German chancellor Angela Merkel gives government approval</p>— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1258026463829377026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

The German Bundesliga will be the world's first major football league to return following the coronavirus pandemic when it does restart.
The last game was played on 11 March with each club having nine or 10 matches left to play. Games will be behind closed doors.

The English and Spanish top flights are hoping to return next month, while Italian teams have been allowed to start individual training.

The top leagues in France and the Netherlands are not finishing after being cut short.

Only a handful of low-profile football leagues - in countries like Belarus and Nicaragua - have continued during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tuesday saw the return of South Korea's baseball division, with their football league set to return on Friday.
 
Germany's Bundesliga to resume behind closed doors on 16 May

The Bundesliga will resume behind closed doors on Saturday 16 May - and is the first European league to restart following the coronavirus shutdown.

One of the games on the day of relaunch will be the derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund.

Champions Bayern Munich, who are four points clear at the top of the table, travel to Union Berlin on Sunday.

Most teams have nine games to play, with the final weekend of the season rescheduled for 27-28 June.

The German Football Association (DFL) said the season would resume under strict health protocols that bans fans from the stadium and requires players to have Covid-19 testing.

Around 300 people, including players, staff and officials, will be in or around the stadiums during matchdays.

The league has been suspended since 13 March; clubs returned to training in mid-April with players working out in groups.

Christian Seifert, chief executive of the German Football League (DFL), held a news conference on Thursday where he said despite the empty stands and other restrictions, "it was crucial to resume play".

Other updates to emerge included:

As well as players and coaching staff, referees will also be subject to medical and hygiene regulations.
There was no clarification on the issue of matches being available free to air - talks are under way with broadcasters.
There were 10 positive results from clubs in the top two divisions following the first series of coronavirus tests - and two in the second series.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel eased some restrictions, allowing shops to reopen with the country seeing fewer than 7,000 deaths from coronavirus.

Seifert said: "The interest [globally] is big. I see reports from across the world that we are the first major league to return. This can only happen because we have the privilege to live in one of the most modern health systems in the world.

"The matches will feel different. After the first matchday, we will all know why we prefer games with fans. But that is the framework we have to operate in and I expect the best possible sport within this framework."

Meanwhile, the executive committee of the World Players Association - which represents 85,000 players and athletes across world sport - will meet next week to discuss medical protocols around the return to sport.

It said in a statement: "All proposals need to be calmly and rigorously assessed by relevant experts with a clear commitment that player health and safety is not negotiable."

Full list of fixtures

Saturday

Augsburg v Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach

Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn

Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin

RB Leipzig v Freiburg

Sunday

Cologne v Mainz

Union Berlin v Bayern Munich

Monday

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen


https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52576780
 
Spanish FA have approved teams to make 5 substitutions per match, with a 25-man match-day squad, when the season resumes.

There will also be two breaks per match for hydration.
 
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Each individual player’s behaviour will be “crucial until the end of the season”, the medical head of the Bundesliga and UEFA’s efforts to restart the game across the continent warned on Sunday.

Tim Meyer, the head of the Bundesliga’s new coronavirus task force and chairman of the UEFA medical committee, said that while the German league had produced the safest possible system for resuming competition, it was vital that players showed discipline and kept to the new rules.

The Bundesliga will become the first major league in Europe to resume action, on May 16, with games held without spectators and with strict restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Football has to give something back to the people now,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“That also means to be disciplined as a player. Keeping themselves away from the virus and the virus from them is the target. They need to be responsible.

“They are very public and need to show how to behave — on the pitch, play football as always but as soon as you leave the pitch, you are a citizen again and need to behave as a citizen in times of Corona,” he added.

Meyer said his task was to create the highest possible level of safety, based on what was “medically justifiable”.

“We do not think that any job, any profession in the country is 100% safe at this moment, as long as you deal with other human beings.

“Sometimes there are people who say, ‘there is still a little risk’. Yes there is. We will not be able to eliminate any small risk - we did a lot, we put a lot of measures in place, to make sure that infections from football are highly unlikely,” he said.

STRICT GUIDELINES

The Bundesliga has produced a detailed set of strict guidelines for the restart which include three separate zones at stadiums to limit human contact and reduce the chances of viral transmission along with a large scale testing procedure.

There will also be an impact for those living with players.

The co-habitants, wives or partners of all Bundesliga players will be required to choose from three options — either to undergo two tests, agree to document each contact outside the house or they have to live separately.

However, the decision on how to respond to any positive tests amongst players — and who in a squad might need to be quarantined as a result — will remain with the local health authorities in Germany.

That came into the spotlight on Saturday when Bundesliga 2 team Dynamo Dresden were told by their local health body to put the entire squad into 14 days quarantine after two of their players tested positive for the virus.

The decision means Dynamo will not be able to play their scheduled first game after the restart on May 17.

“We cannot change German law and German law says that in the case of, whoever is tested positive from the population, it is the local health authorities who take responsibility for the management of that case,” said Meyer who was speaking before the Dynamo news was announced.

“Usually, and this will be exactly the same with football, the affected person is put into quarantine and then the local health authority starts to check contact persons... fortunately in professional football we have footage of training sessions and each match,” he added, noting that tracking systems would be able to provide quick and detailed information.

PREMIER LEAGUE
Meyer has been in regular contact with medical staff at the Premier League and the English Football Association. He said the situations in the two countries were very different given the lower impact of the pandemic in Germany and in particular the higher capacity for testing for the virus.

Many of the Premier League’s evolving ‘Project Restart’ plans are similar to the Bundesliga’s approach and Meyer said it would be difficult to produce a more stringent system.

“You cannot easily be stricter than we are. You can put everyone into a complete quarantine, that is a scenario that has been debated in several countries,” he said.

“You can do that, but you need to be aware what you are doing then isolating a number of young men, completely, from the outside world for several weeks is not easy.

“We do not know how that would work, if it works at all, or what the consequences of it are not just on a medical but also a psychological level, we don’t know if it is feasible at all. Being stricter is difficult.”

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...irus-plan-says-bundesliga-chief-idUKKBN22M0EX
 
La Liga has confirmed that five players across Spain's top two divisions have tested positive for coronavirus.
 
A player testing positive for coronavirus will not be a "catastrophe" for the Bundesliga, says Borussia Dortmund's managing director.

Germany's top flight will become the first major football league in Europe to return to competition this weekend.

"We are relieved football is coming back," Carsten Cramer told BBC Sport.

"The moment they say 'Dortmund, you have too many positive tests' we have to make a decision. Right now we have always had negative tests."

Three people at Cologne tested positive for coronavirus two weeks ago, while Dynamo Dresden, who play in the second tier of German football, have put their entire squad and coaching staff into two-week isolation after two players tested positive for the virus.

Every Bundesliga team has been in quarantine, going from a hotel to their training ground for the week leading up to this weekend's return.

This weekend's matches include the derby between Dortmund and Schalke on Saturday (14:30 BST) and Union Berlin at home to leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday (17:00 BST).

Cramer said the return of games was vital for the financial future of clubs and the league.

"A positive test won't be a catastrophe as long as we have the rules and recommendations for how to get along with it," he added.

"We are relieved and satisfied we can restart because without a restart not only Dortmund, but the Bundesliga would get in really big problems."

All nine games spread over Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be played behind closed doors.

Cramer said police would be on patrol outside Dortmund's Westfalenstadion to ensure fans did not gather during their game.

"We'd never prefer to play without spectators but in a crisis like this, without any alternative, going behind the curtain is better than no games," he said.

"I can't be 100% sure, but I'm very sure this won't become a problem. There will be security and police around the stadium. In Germany it's still forbidden to be outside with more than three people."

'Uncertainty and nervousness'

Fortuna Dusseldorf boss Uwe Rosler says there are nerves going into the return of Germany's top flight.

However, the former Manchester City player and Leeds United boss said there was a "willingness" to return to action after the Bundesliga was put on hold 10 weeks ago.

"Of course there is a lot of nervousness, there's a lot of questions to be answered but I think it's helped us the last week that we could train in full contact now," added Rosler, who discovered he had cancer in 2003.

"I think when we are on the football pitch we are back to normal. Everything outside the football pitch is strange, is not normal, you have to adapt to it pretty quick.

"I think the main thing is how we get the focus in general back to winning football matches because there is a of things going through all our minds, 24/7."

Rosler's side sit 16th in the table and entertain bottom club Paderborn on Saturday (14:30 BST).

Meanwhile, Everton full-back Jonjoe Kenny told BBC World Service he feels "comfortable" about playing again with loan club Schalke.

The 23-year-old has made 23 Bundesliga starts since moving to Germany on a season-long loan last summer.

"Schalke have made me feel really comfortable about going out and playing," said Kenny, whose side sit sixth in the table before their derby at Borussia Dortmund.



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52650159
 
Serie A plans to resume its season on 13 June if Italy's government approves.

The league's general assembly met on Wednesday via videoconference and approved the date for resumption "in accordance with government decisions and medical protocols".

Clubs in the Italian top flight returned to training earlier in May but players can only train individually.

Serie A was suspended on 9 March with 12 full rounds and four outstanding fixtures still to play.

Juventus, chasing their ninth consecutive Serie A title, are top of the league, a point ahead of Lazio.

Teams will be able to train collectively from Monday.

Italy has been one of the countries worst affected by coronavirus, with a number of players having become infected.

Last week, three Fiorentina players and three members of the club's support staff tested positive for coronavirus, while a Torino player also tested positive.
 
Juventus want to sign Chelsea midfielder Jorginho in a swap deal for Miralem Pjanic.
 
(Reuters) - Bundesliga teams will be allowed up to five substitutions per match when it restarts on Saturday after the coronavirus stoppage, while teams will be relegated provided the season is completed, the German Football League (DFL) said on Thursday.

Short-term venue changes will also be permitted if health reasons dictate such a need and the season will continue beyond its re-scheduled finish date of June 30 and into July if necessary, the DFL said following a general assembly.

The Bundesliga will be the first major European league to resume when it gets going following a two-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second tier 2. Bundesliga will also get under way.

All matches will be played behind closed doors, and progress will be closely watched around Europe.

Doubts have already surfaced after second tier Dynamo Dresden’s entire squad were quarantined by the local health authority following two positive tests, forcing their first two games to be postponed.

However, when three players at Cologne tested positive, only the players affected were isolated. Under German law, the final decision in such cases lies with local health authorities.

Football’s rule-making body IFAB ruled earlier this month that teams could make five substitutions instead of the usual three as a temporary measure but said the final decision lay with competition organisers.

The DFL became the first major league to implement the change which is designed to help teams cope with fixture congestion as they rush to complete the season.

The DFL said that all but one of its 36 member clubs voted in favour of maintaining relegation.

“(The assembly) unanimously confirmed, with one abstention, the intention to carry out the current 2019/20 season in its entirety, including relegation, as far as legally possible and, if necessary, to continue beyond 30 June in July,” it said.

No decision was taken on what would happen if the season had to be called off for health reasons.

“In the event that... the season has to be abandoned prematurely, a regulation regarding the sporting classification is to be developed within the following two weeks,” it said.

Venues could be changed should a local outbreak make it inadvisable to stage a match. “There will be the possibility of a match being played in another stadium at short notice for overriding compelling legal, organisational and/or security reasons,” the DFL said.

Bayern Munich, chasing an eighth successive title, currently lead the table with 55 points from 25 games, four ahead of Borussia Dortmund with RB Leipzig third on 50. There are nine rounds of matches to play.

At the bottom, Werder Bremen and Paderborn are in the drop zone with Fortuna Duesseldorf in 16th, which is the relegation/promotion playoff spot.
 
Life-sized cardboard cutouts of football fans are being used to try to provide atmosphere at empty stadiums in Germany as the suspended Bundesliga gets ready to resume.

Thousands of Borussia Moenchengladbach fans have ordered €18 cutouts of themselves for their first home fixture at Borussia Park next week, Reuters reports

5341.jpg
 
Bundesliga 1 and Bundesliga 2 ( Second Division ) starts tomorrow.

Hopefully the league is completed without any hiccups thereby paving way for other leagues and sports to follow.
 
Augsburg head coach Heiko Herrlich will miss the Bundesliga restart after breaching quarantine rules by leaving the team hotel to buy toothpaste.

Herrlich, whose side face Wolfsburg on Saturday, told a news conference on Thursday that he had visited a shop, breaking league rules.

Teams preparing for the German league to restart this weekend have been staying in quarantine.

"I made a mistake by leaving the hotel," he said in a statement later.

Herrlich, 48, was appointed on 10 March and the home match with Wolfsburg was set to be his first in charge.

"Even though I have followed all hygiene measures both when leaving the hotel and otherwise, I cannot undo this," he said. "In this situation, I was not able to act as a role model for my team and the public.

"I will therefore be consistent and stand by my mistake. Because of this misconduct, I will not be leading the training [on Friday] and will not be in charge of the team against Wolfsburg on Saturday."

Speaking at a video news conference earlier, he had said: "I have no toothpaste and then I went to a supermarket."

The club said players and staff are being regularly tested for coronavirus and Herrlich will be able to resume training after two negative test results.

Augsburg are 14th in the Bundesliga, five points above the relegation zone.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52670775
 
Club Brugge have been awarded the Belgian Pro League title after the league board decided to end the season early.
 
The German Bundesliga resumes behind closed doors this weekend, becoming the first major European league to restart after the coronavirus shutdown.

Saturday's six games include the derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke (14:30 BST), with leaders Bayern Munich at Union Berlin on Sunday (17:00 BST).

The league was suspended on 13 March, with most teams having nine games left.

There will be a police presence at stadiums to ensure fans do not enter and to prevent disturbances.

Under strict health protocols, fans are banned from the stadiums, but Borussia Monchengladbach are going to have cardboard cutouts of supporters in the stands.

About 300 people, including players, staff and officials, will be in or around the stadiums. Players have been tested for Covid-19 and will be expected to observe social distancing off the pitch.

Bundesliga clubs returned to training in mid-April, with players initially working in groups.

Every team has been in quarantine, going from a hotel to their training ground for the week leading up to this weekend's return.

Follow live text commentary of Borussia Dortmund v Schalke
Fixtures (all 14:30 BST unless stated)

Saturday 16 May

Augsburg v Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke

Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn

Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin

RB Leipzig v Freiburg

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (17:30 BST)

Sunday 17 May

Cologne v Mainz

Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (17:00 BST)

Monday 18 May

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (19:30 BST)

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52688970
 
Not a fan of Bundesliga and rarely watch it but watched a bit of it today and honestly it was great feeling to have some live sports back on.

Also, have heard a lot about it but Dortmund is indeed a team full of talent, it's insane to have this all this talent in the same team and they are almost all under-25, majority of them 19-21, Haaland looks like someone whose gonna end up with a lot of goals.
 
Erling Braut Haaland scored for Borussia Dortmund as they marked the return of the Bundesliga during the coronavirus outbreak with a convincing derby win over Schalke.

The game will mostly be remembered for the surreal circumstances in which it was played, as Germany became the first major league in Europe to resume action behind closed doors.

There was an eerie atmosphere at Dortmund's iconic Signal Iduna Park stadium, with every shout by players or coaches audible, and social distancing protocol followed by substitutes and during goal celebrations.

Haaland opened the scoring with a trademark cool finish, flicking home Thorgen Hazard's cross to continue his sensational season, albeit after an enforced break of almost 10 weeks.

Raphael Guerreiro added two more goals and Hazard also found the net as Dortmund went on to claim a comfortable win over their near neighbours and move within a point of leaders Bayern Munich, who play on Sunday.

Elite-level football might be back in Europe, but it certainly has a different feel about it than it did two months ago.

Strict hygiene protocols saw the Dortmund and Schalke players arrive on multiple buses, use several changing rooms and then enter the pitch by different routes.

Warm-ups were staggered and the coaching staff and substitutes wore masks and were all separated by two metres as they took their place on the sidelines.

Once the balls had been disinfected by the ball-boys, the game began in total silence, only pierced by the referee's whistle for kick-off, before being played out to the sound of echoed applause or yelled instructions from the dug-outs.

Fans were completely absent from the 80,000-capacity stadium but that did not stop the Dortmund players performing their trademark salute to the empty stands at the final whistle - standing apart rather than holding hands of course.

The backdrop to the game made for a strange spectacle, but it did nothing to disrupt Haaland's fine form even if it was 70 days on from his last Bundesliga appearance.

With the rest of Europe watching on, Dortmund's 19-year-old Norwegian wonderkid reminded everyone of his precocious talent as he scored one goal, and helped make another.

Haaland now has hit 10 goals in his first nine Bundesliga appearances - and 13 in 12 games in all competitions - since his January move from Red Bull Salzburg and his prolific scoring rate shows no sign of slowing up.

Another of Dortmund's highly-rated young talents, England forward Jadon Sancho, was restricted to an 11-minute cameo off the bench, because of a calf injury.

On-loan Everton full-back Jonjoe Kenny started for Schalke, who brought on Wales winger Rabbi Matondo as one of their five substitutes - two more than usual are permitted under the new regulations for the Bundesliga's restart.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52681127
 
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich comfortably beat Union Berlin in another strange game as the league's return continued during the coronavirus pandemic.

It has been allowed to restart without fans, most people off the pitch wearing masks and muted goal celebrations.

Robert Lewandowski gave the champions the lead with a penalty - his 40th goal in 34 Bayern games this season.

And Benjamin Pavard headed in a late second from Joshua Kimmich's corner.

Saturday's games gave us an indication of what football games will look like for the foreseeable future, as the Bundesliga became the first elite league to return.

And it was more of the same on Sunday, with substitutes and coaches socially distancing on the bench - including using the front rows of the otherwise empty stands.

The footballs were disinfected by ball-boys and left in certain spots around the pitch, rather than handing them directly to the players.

Even goal celebrations were mostly done without embracing, although Pavard hugged David Alaba after his late goal.

Players and coaches all quarantined in their team hotels this week, undergoing regular coronavirus testing and only leaving to go to training together.

Union Berlin coach Urs Fischer had to miss this match because he broke quarantine when his father-in-law died.

The lack of fans was a real shame for Union, whose link with their supporters is legendary in Germany.

This is their first ever season in the top flight, with the fixture against Bayern - who have won the past seven Bundesliga titles - always one of the games fans look forward to the most.

Bayern were comfortable winners in the end, despite only having three shots on target.

Thomas Muller had a goal ruled out by the video assistant referee for offside before Lewandowski scored the opener following a foul by Neven Subotic on Leon Goretzka.

Pavard's header with 10 minutes to go wrapped up the victory to take them four points above Borussia Dortmund at the top.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52681239
 
Bundesliga players will be reminded of the return-to-play guidelines before next weekend's matches after Hertha Berlin's players ignored them during Saturday's 3-0 win at Hoffenheim.

The DFL [German football league] has already said Hertha will not be punished for their celebrations.

However, Bundesliga International chief executive Robert Klein says the guidelines need to be followed.

"[There are] clear guidelines. We need everyone to respect them," he said.

"In the hygiene concept, the guideline is to celebrate within social distancing rules. One can imagine at the height of a goal being scored that maybe, sometimes, the players get closer.

"The clubs are working actively with the players. They speak to them every day to remind them of what needs to be done to ensure we earn the right to a second match-day and a third and to finish the season."

Klein regards the opening weekend of post-Covid-19 top-flight football in Germany as a success.

Despite concerns, he has not been informed of any groups of fans gathering in significant numbers at stadiums or city centres to watch matches.

"It was a big sense of relief," he said.

"The fans understand the times we are living in are unusual. Sometimes these requests are difficult for them but everything has gone smoothly."

Klein has not been informed of any positive Covid-19 tests around games and while the weekly meeting with clubs will go ahead as normal, he is not aware of any issue that would threaten the next round of matches and the midweek games after that, which include Borussia Dortmund's encounter with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, 26 May.

As none of the other major European leagues are due to restart until next month, Klein understands 'the eyes of the world' are on Germany.

And early figures suggest there has been unprecedented global interest in the Bundesliga.

A record six million viewers watched Sky Germany's goals programme on Saturday, which was shown for free.

The precise international audience numbers will not be known until later in the week but Klein noted 'quite incredible' interest, and that 'Bundesliga' was trending in South Africa, Colombia and Ghana, among others, on Saturday.



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52708817
 
'This is unjust': Amiens president rails against relegation from Ligue 1

The club has taken legal action after being relegated from a league that had 10 rounds of fixtures left to play.

When son of the city Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France on 7 May 2017, the people of Amiens must have expected that proud event to be the highlight of their month. However, the small northern city straddling the River Somme was the centre of attention again a fortnight later, when Emmanuel Bourgaud scored a 96th-minute winner against Reims on the final day of the Ligue 2 season to take Amiens from sixth to second in the table. With the last kick of the season, Bourgaud had earned the club promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in their history.

For club president Bernard Joannin this was the culmination of 11 years of work, most of which was spent in France’s third tier, the club only regaining professional status in 2016. Joannin, a 70-year-old former PE teacher who owns several Intersport franchises (think Sports Direct, although the suave, affable Frenchman could not be more removed from Mike Ashley), had the people of the city in mind when he bought the club. “I took over in 2009 with other local businessmen and my objective was to give back to the city what they had given us by helping us to build successful businesses,” he says.

Joannin has done that and more, giving Amiens fans two consecutive promotions and three straight seasons in the top flight – even though the club has one of the smallest budgets in the division. This season, under new Slovenian coach Luka Elsner, has been more of a struggle. Despite earning impressive comeback draws – 4-4 against PSG and 2-2 against Marseille – earlier this year, Amiens were 19th in the league, four points adrift of the clubs above them, when quarantine was announced. The atmosphere within the squad remained positive, however. “They were totally motivated, close-knit, focused on staying up,” says Joannin. “We had no issues with the confinement because this pandemic is terrible.”

Players were given individualised training programmes and tested for coronavirus. They all tested negative and were waiting to find out when they could return to action. However, on 28 April, the French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced that there would be no professional contact sport until August, setting off a chain of events that led to the LFP – the governing body that runs the top two divisions in France – announcing that the season was over.

“I think the FFF and LFP took too hasty a decision,” says Joannin. “I agreed with the decision to suspend the league, but not to stop it. Look at Germany – they started again this weekend. England, Italy and Spain have restarted training.” The LFP’s next announcement was that PSG would be crowned champions and Amiens would be relegated along with Toulouse.

Joannin was outraged. “One cannot impose relegations when, out of a 38-match season, only 28 matches were played – representing only 74%. You can’t decree a competition – a sporting contract – completed when one quarter of the competition is yet to be played. The French rugby, handball, basketball leagues all declared their leagues over but, for the sake of humanity and solidarity, they cancelled all relegations.

“Across society this lockdown has returned us to true values. And this is what that shocked me the most about the LFP – that lack of humanity and solidarity during a time when everyone on the planet is showing each other great humanity and total solidarity. I just regret that. That’s the word. Regret.”

Regret and a sense of injustice. “We were still due to play the three teams directly above us in the table. This decision is unjust. It makes no sense. It has no basis. It is a punitive decision. Sport and competition make me tick. When you fail in competition, you lose and you move on. But here, we didn’t lose. We’re being relegated by administrative means. And I cannot accept that.”

Joannin acted immediately, putting a proposition to the FFF and LFP to void the relegations and expand the division to 22 teams next season. His proposal noted that the extra four games per season could simply be fitted into the slots left open by the defunct Coupe de la Ligue and, to allay financial concerns, Amiens would give up a share of television rights, as well as saving the LFP the need for parachute payments. “It really was a fair proposition which, in an exceptional situation caused by Covid-19, would have been a humane, solidarity solution, penalising no one financially.”

Joannin’s appeals to reconsider fell on deaf ears, so he took legal action. His appeal to the Paris administrative tribunal is due to be heard this week. “To be clear, we are not asking for any financial compensation. What we want is the cancellation of the arbitrary relegation of Amiens. Full stop. We believe that the legal arguments are in our favour. I believe in French justice and I believe that we will be proven right.”

Amiens SC have been joined by Amiens Metropole, the city authority, in their appeal. Relegation would have drastic implications for both parties: “In financial terms, relegation would mean the club losing €40m in revenue. It would be necessary to drastically reduce Amiens’ budget.” Would that lead to redundancies? “I don’t want to leave anyone behind, but no one can achieve the impossible. We’ll try to find solutions for everyone. But I can tell you, as shareholder, that I will meet the challenge and the club will not die.”

“As for the city, in terms of notoriety, the name of Amiens has never been as mentioned in the media as since the club has been in Ligue 1. There are also economic consequences for local businesses. Amiens airport welcomed other clubs’ private planes and our plane when we played away from home. Hotels welcomed away teams and fans. For every home match I would employ more than 300 people, from stewards to hostesses. Take the stadium too – if we go down, the convention is that our rent will be reduced by half. So, the relegation would mean a real economic hit for the city. That’s why the city is also fighting it.”

The club’s model is to nurture their own young talent and find bargains in the transfer market, and then sell both for profit. This approach – which has produced players such as Tanguy Ndombele, now at Tottenham, and Serhou Guirassy, who is likely to follow him to the Premier League this summer – means the club have to plan ahead in the transfer market. “As we have very limited financial resources, we are obliged to wait until the final day of the transfer window – 30 August – to do our business,” says Joannin. “So, the first months of the season are always difficult for us. It takes time for the coach to work out his best team and to set a tone for the group. That’s why we always finish strongly – we build momentum.”

Notwithstanding all talk of solidarity, humanity and momentum, Amiens were second bottom and without a league win since November. Why should anyone believe they would have stayed up? “It’s what we call the Picard fighting spirit,” says Joannin. “Let me take you through Amiens’ recent history. When we were promoted from the third division, we secured promotion on the final day. When we were promoted to Ligue 1, we secured it in the final second of the final match. When we stayed up in our first Ligue 1 season, we secured safety on the final day. The same again last season.

“Amiens always have a strong final quarter of the season. It’s the spirit of the people of Picardie. You need to understand that the Picardie region is a land that has often been invaded and the locals are used to fighting – against lots of things. Against unemployment, against the cold, against difficulty. The people of the region are fighters.”
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/21/this-is-unjust-amiens-president-relegation-ligue-1
 
German second-tier side Dynamo Dresden have returned two more positive tests for coronavirus.

The Bundesliga 2 club put their entire squad and coaching staff into isolation for two weeks on 9 May after two players tested positive.

Another player and the partner of a member of the coaching staff have also now tested positive for Covid-19.

They will be placed under further quarantine, but the team will still resume training from Saturday.

"The Dresden Health Department acted absolutely responsibly and correctly by quarantining our team at home, because it enabled us to break an infection chain within our team at an early stage," said Dresden's team doctor team Onays Al-Sadi.

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 both restarted on Saturday, 16 May - the first major European league to resume after the coronavirus shutdown - but Dynamo Dresden did not play because their players were isolating.

When they can return to action, only about 300 people - including players, staff and officials - will be inside or around the stadiums on matchdays.
 
Mauro Icardi: Paris Saint-Germain bid £44.7m for Inter striker

Paris Saint-Germain have made an opening offer of £44.7m (€50m) plus a further £8.9m (€10m) in add-ons for Mauro Icardi from Inter Milan.

Icardi has been on loan at PSG since last summer - a deal that included a £62.7m (€70m) option to buy.

The 27-year-old has impressed in France, scoring 20 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions since arriving in early September.

Icardi is contracted at Inter until the summer of 2022, signing a new three-year deal before moving on loan to PSG.

Sky in Italy reported earlier this week Inter were hopeful Edinson Cavani could head in the opposite direction on a free transfer this summer.

Cavani is out of contract at PSG this summer - so is free to speak to other clubs - and he has also been a target for Atletico Madrid since January, as well as clubs in the Premier League.

Inter are understood to be preparing for the potential departure of Lautaro Martinez to Barcelona.

Sky Sports News reported last month Barca had offered a number of players to Inter in the hope of striking a swap or part-exchange deal.

Right-back Nelson Semedo and left-back Junior Firpo are two players offered to Inter and are being assessed in regular meetings between chief executive Giuseppe Marotta and sporting director Piero Ausilio, according to Sky in Italy.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ris-saint-germain-bid-44-7m-for-inter-striker
 
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