London, United Kingdom | AFP | Global sport is facing the “mother of all wake-up calls” as it emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, with uncertainty over what the landscape for participants and sponsors will look like. Former head of Olympic marketing Michael Payne believes that although “it will be very painful …
Read More »As football restarts around Europe, France questions decision to end season early
Paris, France | AFP | It is the land of the world champions, but is it really a football country? That is the question some in France have been asking this week while its European neighbours work to bring the sport back after the coronavirus shutdown. Debate has raged ever since …
Read More »League-by-league guide to the return of football around Europe
Paris, France | AFP | With the German Bundesliga on its second weekend back following the two-month coronavirus shutdown and La Liga given the green light by the Spanish government to return next month, AFP Sport casts a glance at the situation for football leagues across Europe: – Leagues restarting – …
Read More »Bayern prepare to take revenge on Eintracht with Dortmund looming
Munich, Germany | AFP | Bundesliga leaders Bayern continue their renewed season with only one injury doubt ahead of a home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Coach Hansi Flick said in an on-line press conference on Friday that central midfielder Thiago was unlikely to play because of a hip muscle problem. “We’ll have to …
Read More »Five things from the Bundesliga comeback
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich maintained their four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga as Germany gave fans across the world their first taste of elite football for two months amid empty stands and stringent hygiene guidelines designed to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. AFP looks …
Read More »German football kicks off as Europe begins reopening
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Top flight German football kicked off again on Saturday as the French returned to the beach and Italy announced a resumption of European tourism, providing much-needed relief against the relentless drumbeat of death and economic devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic. The reopenings mark the beginning …
Read More »Bayern aim to shake off cobwebs with quiet confidence in Berlin
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich restart their charge for an eighth straight Bundesliga title at Union Berlin on Sunday amid doubts the Bavarian giants will be able to last the distance after a two-month hiatus. Hansi Flick’s side hold a one-point lead at the top of the league heading …
Read More »Haaland grabs first post-lockdown goal in Bundesliga
Dortmund, Germany | AFP | The setting may be unfamiliar with the German Bundesliga returning behind closed doors after a two-month coronavirus shutdown, but the identity of the day’s first goal-scorer was entirely familiar as Erling Braut Haaland put Borussia Dortmund ahead against Schalke on Saturday. Haaland diverted a low Thorgan Hazard cross into the …
Read More »Bundesliga defies COVID-19, no shaking hands
All eyes on Germany as Bundesliga football returns Berlin, Germany | AFP | The Bundesliga returns to action on Saturday with the resumption of the first top European league since the coronavirus lockdown watched closely to see if it provides a blueprint for other competitions. Matches will be played behind …
Read More »German football returns under intense scrutiny
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Football in Germany returns to the pitch on Saturday as the Bundesliga becomes the first of Europe’s top leagues to swing back into action since the coronavirus lockdown. The German Football League (DFL) convinced Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s regional leaders to allow play …
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