Europe’s first elite league to return has planned meticulously but wants to make the most of its moment in the spotlight
Here we go. The phrase Geisterspielen – ghost games – is about to become part of international, rather than just German, football nomenclature because on Saturday the Bundesliga will become the first of Europe’s elite leagues to resume in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It may not be the most endearing way of framing it but there is no escaping that its European counterparts are viewing the Bundesliga as their guinea pig, learning from their best practice and, perhaps, any mistakes. After a few years of spreading its wings, creating an international arm to the business and beginning to chase down the Premier League’s domination of global popularity, the Bundesliga now has at least a few weeks of a clear run at a hungry worldwide football audience. It will be under the microscope from every imaginable angle.
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