SC Paderborn of Germany left-back, Jamilu Collins and FC Cologne right-back, Kingsley Ehizibue will now set their focus on May 15 for the restart of action in the German Bundesliga, following their intervention of the country’s political head, Angela Merkel, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although Merkel was only expected to make the pronouncement official on Wednesday, feelers had already emerged at the end of Tuesday that Collins, Ehizibue and other players in the German top-flight league would resume competitive matches in the middle of this month.
Collins and Ehizibue now aim to hit the ground running once again, to instill a bright restart for their respective clubs, as Paderborn were battling against relegation before the forced suspension caused by coronavirus, while Cologne wire oscillating mid-table.
It is now left to be seen how Collins and Ehizibue will help motivate their teammates, as Der Bundesliga is set to receive the green light to return on May 15 with the German government poised to agree on measures to further ease coronavirus restrictions and measures to control the spread are expected to unfold in a teleconference with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A report by Daily Mail added: “The state premiers are expected to give the green light for large shops to reopen, probably from May 11, and also allow the Bundesliga to resume matches under strict conditions without fans in stadiums. German clubs have been back in training since last month with restrictions ahead of a planned return to full training and then games this month.
“The Bundesliga has been on pause since March, with nine games left to play for most clubs in the division. The restart could look bizarre, with players facing the possibility of playing in masks and being told not to touch one another in scenarios such as celebrations – all while playing in front of eerily empty arenas.
“It was thought plans for the Bundesliga to return may be delayed after three Cologne players tested positive for coronavirus last week. The trio of players were put into a 14-day quarantine and training was able to continue. A further 10 positive cases were discovered from a total of 1,724 tests carried out on players and staff from cubs in the top two divisions. A second wave of tests will now take place this week.”
