Coronavirus Outbreak: German Cup final rescheduled for 4 July, to be played without spectators, confirms DFB

Berlin: The men’s German Cup final has been rescheduled for 4 July and play can resume in the third division as well as the women’s Bundesliga pending a green light from local authorities, the German Football Association (DFB) said on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_7571421” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Bayern Munich players celebrating a goal. AFP[/caption] With the men’s top two divisions set to start without spectators on 16 May after a two-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DFB said the ball can also start rolling in the other competitions. But it will also be without fans with Germany having banned all major events until at least 31 August. The German Cup semi-finals between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt and Saarbruecken and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on 9 and 10 June. The DFB said its health and safety plan developed jointly with the league for the Bundesliga will also apply for its own competitions. A restart of the third division is set for 26-27 May the earliest, it said. “That is why I am very confident that very soon the authorities will provide us with the permission to continue the third division, the women’s Bundesliga and the German Cup of course,” said DFB President Fritz Keller. But with the virus far from gone in Germany where almost 170,000 people have been infected and more than 7,400 have died, football officials are concerned any positive cases could limit chances of finishing the season, and inflict potentially “existence-threatening” financial damage to some clubs. Follow all the latest coronavirus updates here