The beautiful game has once again stolen a march on the world of sports. Recovering from the forced shutdown of the earth, the Germans decided to take on the Covid19 virus head-on and ordered a re-start of the Bundesliga.
What seemed impossible only a few weeks ago, has been done, albeit due to economic necessities. DFL, who run the German football league, took the bold step to successfully negotiate the dangerous route of holding games in empty stadia. That television viewing around the world went through the roof should come as no surprise when sports lovers have been denied Live action for more than 10 weeks now!
Cavernous 80,000-seater stadium in Dortmund reverberated as Borussia Dortmund took on neighbours Schalke 04 in the hotly contested riviera derby. But the ghostly quiet that accompanied the game, which would have otherwise found the venue bursting at the seams, adds an altogether new chapter in sporting competitions.
Doing it for TV has long been the watchword in US sports, with every league schedule tailored to suit audience tastes! But for Europe and football, much like the rest of the world including USA, this was an entirely new experience. DFL walked into the unknown and seems to have made a sound start. After all it was a whopping 300 million euros at stake. That's the kind of money DFL stood to lose if the league was not completed as part of the rights holder agreement with TV channels.
Its a brave new world that sport has walked into.
There were, without doubt, hiccups along the way as well. One club, struggling to avoid relegation, lost services of its newly appointed coach, the man denied his debut only because he broke quarantine rules to step out and buy a tube of toothpaste.
That may have been the exception but it was enforced without any sympathy is evidence to the German steely determination to tide over this global crisis as only they can. Germans have, without doubt, taken the lead and the sporting world now has the brave new moves of the DFL (not DFB, the German federation) to thank for showing them the way.
Sports no longer need to remain in limbo! Heil DFL!!!
What seemed impossible only a few weeks ago, has been done, albeit due to economic necessities. DFL, who run the German football league, took the bold step to successfully negotiate the dangerous route of holding games in empty stadia. That television viewing around the world went through the roof should come as no surprise when sports lovers have been denied Live action for more than 10 weeks now!
Cavernous 80,000-seater stadium in Dortmund reverberated as Borussia Dortmund took on neighbours Schalke 04 in the hotly contested riviera derby. But the ghostly quiet that accompanied the game, which would have otherwise found the venue bursting at the seams, adds an altogether new chapter in sporting competitions.
Doing it for TV has long been the watchword in US sports, with every league schedule tailored to suit audience tastes! But for Europe and football, much like the rest of the world including USA, this was an entirely new experience. DFL walked into the unknown and seems to have made a sound start. After all it was a whopping 300 million euros at stake. That's the kind of money DFL stood to lose if the league was not completed as part of the rights holder agreement with TV channels.
Its a brave new world that sport has walked into.
There were, without doubt, hiccups along the way as well. One club, struggling to avoid relegation, lost services of its newly appointed coach, the man denied his debut only because he broke quarantine rules to step out and buy a tube of toothpaste.
That may have been the exception but it was enforced without any sympathy is evidence to the German steely determination to tide over this global crisis as only they can. Germans have, without doubt, taken the lead and the sporting world now has the brave new moves of the DFL (not DFB, the German federation) to thank for showing them the way.
Sports no longer need to remain in limbo! Heil DFL!!!
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