Celtic have been declared Scottish champions for a record-equalling ninth successive season while Hearts were relegated after the clubs voted on Monday to end the Premiership season early because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has warned that players will not be ready for competitive action until the end of June as the Premier League looks to restart the season next month.
The league has been suspended since mid-March but its plans to resume received a boost when the government last week said it was "opening the door" for the sport to return. Another meeting is planned for Monday to discuss safety measures needed for "Project Restart" to happen and Bruce said players need at least six weeks to get back in shape.
Champions Bayern Munich scored a goal late in each half to beat promoted Union Berlin 2-0 on their return to the Bundesliga on Sunday after more than two months out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and protect their four-point lead at the top.
Given it’s the only major league in action, there’s no ignoring the season Robert Lewandowski’s having anymore. On Sunday, the Bayern Munich striker scored his landmark 40th goal across all competitions this season, a staggering total that begs comparison: Cristiano Ronaldo has 25 and Lionel Messi has 24.
The 31-year-old has never finished higher than fourth in Ballon d’Or voting (2015), but he’s going toe-to-toe with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile for this season’s prestigious Golden Shoe award.
I’m no Bundesliga expert. When it comes to FC Cologne, I’ve always known two things: (1) Lukas Podolski and (2) goats.
The club boasts one of the greatest crests in world football, which features the silhouette of the famed twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral and that dang ol' goat Hennes.
UEFA has a plan to finish the 2019-20 season by August, including the Champions League and Europa League campaigns, the European soccer governing body's president Aleksander Ceferin has said.
The majority of European league seasons were suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a few leagues have announced plans for a restart in the coming weeks.
The French and Dutch top-flight campaigns have been cancelled but the German Bundesliga restarted on Saturday and Ceferin expects at least 80% of national leagues to finish their seasons.
LONDON — Watford manager Nigel Pearson has warned that players lives could be in danger if the Premier League returns too soon during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"God forbid we have a fatality," the Times newspaper quoted him as saying on Saturday. "People are closing their eyes to the threat.
"Yes, we would like to restart it but it's got to be safe. We should be cautious. To ignore possibilities is foolhardy. It's about safeguarding people's health."
BERLIN — From social distancing substitutes using airport stairs, to disinfected balls and a potential television audience of one billion, the Bundesliga enjoyed a chequered restart as the first major sports league to resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
German soccer's top two divisions, suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus, returned on Saturday with a schedule that included the Bundesliga's showcase — the Ruhr valley derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 — as football-starved fans around the world tuned in to watch live action.
American teenager Giovanni Reyna suffered an injury Saturday while warming up for his first start in the Bundesliga.
Our Starting XI against S04
Gio Reyna will make his first official start for BVB pic.twitter.com/bKSxcSPYbq— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 16, 2020