Former Indian men’s football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia said it was “weird” to see top-flight European football matches were being played without spectators as he talked about the return of Bundesliga and what it meant for football and other sports in post-COVID-19 world.
“I did watch the (Bundesliga) matches. See it does take time to adjust with no spectators around. It was a bit weird but I think with time you will get used to it. But it’s good that we are at least getting to watch live matches,” Bhutia said as quoted by IANS.
However, the former East Bengal forward praised the German competition for resuming the 2019-20 season and said it was still better than no live matches all.
“It was quite boring. At least now we have live matches coming. So rather than reading only negative things all this while, it is a very good change,” said Bhutia, one of the finest forwards the country has ever seen.
The German league resumed the season last weekend after a suspension of more than two months due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic after Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel had allowed Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to resume the 2019-20 season in the first week of May.
There were a number of matches on the first weekend with the most high-profile being the Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 which the former won 4-0. On the other hand, Bayern Munich played away against Union Berlin for a 2-0 victory.
“Matches without stadium spectators are not an ideal solution for anyone. However, during this crisis, which threatens the existence of some clubs, it is the only option to preserve the leagues in their present form. Today I’d like to thank the decision-makers at the state and federal level for placing their confidence in us,” German Football League (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert had said.