Stadiums

Sporting events in the Netherlands will have to take place without fans in attendance until there is a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said. 

The global pandemic has infected over 41,000 people in the Netherlands and caused 5,288 deaths. 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday organized sport could resume from Sept. 1, but de Jonge said mass gatherings would not be allowed until a vaccine had been developed. 

The Bundesliga season will restart on May 16 after a suspension of more than two months, the German Football League (DFL) said on Thursday, becoming the first European league to resume amid the coronavirus epidemic. 

The DFL said the season would restart under the terms of a strict health protocol that bans fans from the stadium, with six games on Saturday, including the high-profile Ruhr valley derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04. 

Premier League clubs are bleeding money and their finances would be entering "uncharted waters" if the season that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic is not finished, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said. 

Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak which has killed more than 28,100 people in the United Kingdom, and the league is no closer to a return after a meeting with all 20 clubs on Friday. 

Players will need at least four weeks to regain match fitness once coronavirus lockdown measures are lifted and they are able to resume training, FK Partizan coach Savo Milosevic said on Sunday. 

The 46-year old former Yugoslavia striker, who scored 37 goals in 102 internationals and won the 1996 English League Cup with Aston Villa, pointed out that a return to normal training would be gradual. 

MANCHESTER, England — Premier League clubs have been told they cannot use their own stadiums for any resumption of games this season with only "approved neutral venues" to host remaining fixtures in a campaign currently on hold due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

The league, which has been suspended since March 9, remains in limbo, unable to take any steps, until any government decision next week on possible changes to lockdown restrictions.

Premier League leaders Liverpool said they were "disappointed" by the city's mayor saying the season should not be restarted even behind closed doors because of the risk of fans gathering outside Anfield. 

Liverpool were 25 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, who have a game in hand, when the league was suspended in March and need only two wins to secure their first top flight title in 30 years. Premier League clubs are set to meet on Friday to discuss ways to finish the season, with some already back in individual training. 

Spectators are unlikely to be able to return to football stadiums until next year at the earliest due to the continued threat of the novel coronavirus, according to Jaume Roures, the head of Spanish media company Mediapro which broadcasts LaLiga. 

Roures, whose company also manages the international broadcasting rights for the Spanish top flight and broadcasts the Champions League, also predicts the end of colossal transfer fees for players due to the pandemic. 

BARCELONA — LaLiga champion Barcelona is searching for a stadium sponsor for the first time to raise funds in the fight against the novel coronavirus, the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Barca said the club's foundation would manage the bid for the naming rights of the 99,000 capacity Camp Nou stadium for the 2020-21 stadium.

Last month's Rhine Derby between Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Koln should've been a high-spirited event. Instead, it was played in an eerily quiet, empty stadium as the Bundesliga played out its first game behind closed doors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Now, the DFB (German FA) says playing in empty stadiums is the only way the competition could resume next month.