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Journalism of Courage
Bundesliga will be the first major European league to hit the ground running on Saturday with Borussia Dortmund hosting Schalke 04 at the Signal Iduna Park in a behind-closed-doors event.
With less than 300 people allowed in the stadiums, including players, coaches, officials, and media, the fans will have to support from their sofas. Incidentally, Dortmund’s former manager Jurgen Klopp will join the fans too.
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed that the Liverpool manager has been texting him consistently about the Bundesliga’s impending return.
“Jurgen has texted me a few times that he will be watching TV at the weekend and everyone is happy that the game will start again,” Watzke told DAZN. “In England in particular, clubs are clinging to the fact that the Premier League can also start again soon.
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“We owe the fact that we are in such a position in Germany to the population, who behaved in such a disciplined manner. And the politicians who are very careful with the situation. That is the reason why Germany is one of the best countries in the world to have come through this crisis.”
Klopp was in charge at Dortmund from 2008 to 2015 and became a cult-hero during his stay as he helped the club win two Bundesligas, one DFB-Pokal, and two DFL-Supercups.
With the resumption, Germany is set to become a testing ground for the rest of the world, as Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A are all trying to come up with plans to restart themselves.
“I feel a huge responsibility. This feeling is bigger than ever, and that gives me a certain amount of tension,” said Watzke.
“On the one hand, the sporting aspect is that we also achieve our goals. On the other hand, the question of whether we can meet the entire framework with all requirements and the security concept as we all imagine it and how it is necessary. This pressure is really huge.”
