It’s not yet clear if – and when – the Bundesliga will return. Frank Baumann, Werder’s sporting director, gave his thoughts after Thursday’s DFL meeting.
It’s not yet clear if – and when – the Bundesliga will return. Frank Baumann, Werder’s sporting director, gave his thoughts after Thursday’s DFL meeting.
…a restart: “Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, it has been clear that the health of the population is the most important thing for the DFL and that is still the case. We need to see how the pandemic develops over the coming weeks. We, the football clubs, cannot decide when we can train or play, as that’s up to the government. On the 30th of April, the current situation will be analysed, and they will discuss whether or not the safety measures can be relaxed or not. Even though the curve has been flattened slightly, things can change quickly, and I don’t want to try and predict what the government will decide. We will see what happens, and regardless of the politics, we will carry on following the guidelines.”
…preparing for a restart: “The 9th May wasn’t mentioned by people in football, but rather by politicians. I’m sceptical about games taking place then. We need to see what the ministers decide first. They also need to discuss team training. Training in a large group or as a full team is very important for our preparation. Only politicians can decide this though. We would need two, perhaps even three weeks to prepare for our first game, as we haven’t trained properly for almost two months now. Other clubs also have a slight advantage, as some of them are already training in larger groups and are thus closer to proper team training.”
…the agreement with the media rights holders: “The DFL presidium should be commended for reaching an agreement with the TV partners, which has eased clubs’ liquidity worries. This is however only a part of the money that we will have to go without. It’s a tough time for us, but it’s nice that we will have this money.”
…putting into place the DFL’s medicinal concept: “We won’t have a virologist for the team as they have better things to do. We are well stocked with our doctors Dr. Hellermann and Dr. Engelke, who will coordinate things. They are in regular contact with the authorities and inform staff and the team on latest developments. When we are getting closer to team training and matches, we will take the appropriate measures to protect everyone involved.”
…health concerns from the players: “No players have come to me with any concerns. There were a few worries at the beginning of the pandemic, just like in the rest of the country. There are still a few questions, but we’ve learnt to get on with things.”
…regular tests: “We haven’t done any tests so far and have stuck to the guidelines set by the Robert-Koch-Institute. Constant tests will be an important factor in us being able to play again though.”
…players having contact with the outside world: “There would be no huge differences to the way the players have avoided the outside world in the past few weeks. The players are all very disciplined and every family member has it in their own self-interest to take no risks.”
…a possible isolation of the players and their families: “This isn’t currently planned, and I don’t think it would make sense to do so over a period of eight weeks. The risk of infection is very low if we continue to follow the prescribed guidelines. This isn’t a 100% guarantee, but it isn’t either in other branches of day-to-day life. It’s possible to minimise the risks with a comprehensive concept.”
…the DFL’s concept: “The health of the players, workers, families and the population is the most important thing. We are in a similar situation to other industries, such as gastronomy and hotels. Churches, schools and universities are all drawing up concepts right now too. Everybody is trying to get an air of normality back. As a business, we need to have an income in order to survive. Football isn’t immune to this. We can develop a concept for our branch and the politicians have to then decide if they are going to reduce certain measures.”
…Werder’s voice within the DFL: “We are one of 36 clubs. We get a chance to have our say in the commissions and meetings. We are in discussions – also through Klaus Filbry and his former colleagues in the DFL presidium. One thing I have to stress is that we, the clubs, are a community, in which several different interests need to be considered.”
…football in the coronavirus pandemic: “It’s a shame for us at Werder that football is currently being shown in a bad light. Football has always polarised people, because, on the one hand there are so many fans, but also because there are critics, who describe it as being out of touch with the real world. As Werder Bremen, we can only try and put into practice what we always have: We want to meet the responsibility we have towards society. We want to maintain the close bond we have with our fans. The players need to know for which club they are playing for. We are also trying to make sure that we don’t lose our grip on reality. I don’t think it’s justifiable to say that we are trying to keep our product alive. The football that we all love will not take place for a number of months, which will hurt. We also still need to be self-critical of what is happening in football. Situations like these allow you to see what is going right and wrong in front of your own eyes.”
…the possibility of fans meeting up to watch the games: “We have spoken to our fan representatives in the fan clubs, but unfortunately haven’t spoken to the ultras, which is important at the moment, which is why we would like them to get in contact. We have to take the criticism of the fans seriously, but none of us want games behind closed doors, however we need to be realistic about the current situation. What kind of consequences would we suffer if we didn’t play for months on end? Our fans have often shown they understand difficult situations.”
…moving to another state: “We need to wait to see what is decided by the government. Then we need to look at all the details. We regularly speak to the authorities and we obviously try and show that as a club we are trying to protect society.”
…the validity of player contracts in July: “Our lawyers are on the case and are in contact with the national and international football associations. It’s not just a question of association rules, but also of German employment law. It’s a very complex topic. The league finishing on the 30th June 2020 would make things a lot easier.”
…the proposed salary cap and solidarity fund: “The salary cap is well-known in American sport, with a number of defining characteristics. It works in the US, but I’m sceptical as to whether you can implement something from a different sport in a completely different continent. Regarding a solidarity fund, the question is what is meant by it. As far as I know, that is done to some extent with the distribution of the national TV money already. The big difference isn’t the national money, but rather the money that comes from playing in international competitions, which sets those teams apart. New TV deals are being negotiated at the moment, as well as the distribution of the money. I can imagine that solidarity will play a bigger role in the future.”
