German Cup final postponed

Berlin (AFP) – The German FA announced Friday that the national cup final, planned for May 23 at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, has been postponed, but said it hopes it can still take place this season behind closed doors.

The semi-finals of the Cup, which had been scheduled for this week, were postponed when the season was halted in mid March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Holders Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and fourth division side FC Saarbruecken had all reached the last four.

Fritz Keller, president of the German Football Association (DFB), hopes the semi-finals and final can still be played, albeit without spectators..

On Thursday, the German Football League announced that they are ready to resume the Bundesliga season on May 9.

They still need the go-ahead from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and state leaders, but the German FA hopes that the national cup competition will also be granted permission to be completed.

“It is extremely regrettable that this special match (the final) will in all probability also have to take place without spectators,” Keller said in a statement.

“Provided that the match is approved, we can then look forward to watching the final in our living rooms for the first time in the cup’s history.”