Vienna (AFP) – Austria’s Bundesliga will restart its season on June 2, after more than two months on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league said on Wednesday.
Games will held behind closed doors every three days to catch up and finish the campaign by the first week of July.
“It’s a big step for all of us, and it’s important that the ball gets rolling on the pitch again,” Austrian Football League president Christian Ebenbauer told a press conference after a meeting with clubs.
Full training is due to start this Friday, having previously only been allowed with a reduced number of players.
Austria’s government on Tuesday gave the green light for the term to resume.
Players will have to undergo regular tests for the virus.
In the case of a positive result, the squad member affected will have to go into a 14-day quarantine and the rest of the outfit will have to be re-tested.
RB Salzburg face second-division Austria Lustenau in the Austrian Cup final to be held on May 29, Ebenbauer also said.
The Austrian Bundesliga has ten rounds left of the season, with Linz’s LASK currently leading three points ahead of RB Salzburg, who have won the title for the last six years.
Austria has reported close to 16,000 COVID-19 cases to date, with 624 deaths and more than 14,300 people having recovered from the disease.
The country of 8.8 million people was one of the first in mid-April to begin easing its strict coronavirus lockdown imposed in mid-March and so far has not seen a significant spike in infections after the measures were relaxed.
Football leagues are gradually re-starting across Europe, with Germany’s Bundesliga returning on Saturday and Italy’s Serie A eyeing a June 13 restart.
