Established 1961 19 Sports Monday, May 18, 2020 Bayern aim to shake off cobwebs with quiet confidence in Berlin Union have twice shocked the league leaders this season

BERLIN: Bayern Munich restart their charge for of his father-in-law. an eighth straight Bundesliga title at Union Berlin “It’s not possible to surprise Bayern with the later amid doubts the Bavarian giants will be able experience their players have,” said assistant to last the distance after a two-month hiatus. coach Markus Hoffmann, who will take charge of Hansi Flick’s side hold a one-point lead at the Union for the Bayern match. top of the league heading into their trip to the “They’ve already experienced everything. “We German capital, which has been the scene of some have to concentrate on ourselves and try to imple- impressive upsets thanks to promoted Union’s ment what we can to influence the game in the form at their Alten Foersterei stadium. best possible way.” Union have twice shocked the league leaders this season, beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in ‘VERY, VERY STRANGE’ August and turning out 2-0 victors over Borussia Bayern’s lead was cut to a single point by Moenchengladbach three months later. Now it’s Borussia Dortmund, who on Saturday showed no Bayern’s turn. ring rustiness in a 4-0 demolition of Ruhr rivals Flick is unsure of his team’s ability to play out a Schalke. full match of professional football after having only Young gun Erling Braut Haaland was again the received the go-ahead to headline act, scoring the resume full team training first Bundesliga goal after last week. “We don’t the restart and setting up know if the team can hold Raphael Guerreiro for the out over 90 minutes,” said Now it’s first of his brace. Flick. “We have trained In one of a series of well and played three Bayern’s odd scenes that peppered matches of 20 minutes turn the first day back, MUNICH: (L-R) French midfielder Corentin Tolisso, Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara, Spanish each last Sunday. Dortmund’s players defender Alvaro Odriozola and French defender Lucas Hernandez wear face masks as they arrive “They were played at a jogged over to applaud for a training session of the German first division Bundesliga football club FC Bayern Munich on very high intensity, but we an empty ‘Sudtribune’, May 13, 2020 at the Bayern’s campus in Munich, southern Germany. The Bundesliga returns on don’t know clearly where which would for a normal May 16, 2020 with Bayern facing Union Berlin on May 17 in an empty stadium due to the new we stand. “We have to derby would be jammed coronavirus pandemic. —AFP just deal with the situation.” The Bundesliga is the with 25,000 delirous fans hailing a huge victory first major league in Europe to return to action that keeps pressure on their title rivals. since the coronavirus brought football to a halt “There was no noise. You shoot at the goal, Hertha Berlin players from celebrating their goals The DFL has also made no secret of the fact two months ago and has only come back with a make a top pass, score a goal, and nothing hap- in a 3-0 win at Hoffenheim by hugging each other. that several clubs are in a dire financial situation as host of strict health regulations, chief among them pens,” said Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. “The fact is that this is part of football,” said a result of the lockdown. If they are able to com- empty stands in what are usually passion-filled “That’s very, very strange. We really missed our Hertha coach Bruno Labbadia. “We’ve been tested plete the nine remaining rounds of matches by stadiums. fans.” As well as the echoing arenas, a host of oth- so many times that we can allow it. June 30, clubs could receive around 300 million That means Union won’t be able to count on er rules have been put in place to try to stop the “If you can’t celebrate anymore, the whole thing euros ($324 million) from television contracts. their ferocious home support at their ground on spread of the virus, from frequent testing to masks breaks down.” A German Football League (DFL) Clubs in England, Spain and Italy, where the eastern outskirts of the German capital. They for players on the subs bench and a week-long spokesman confirmed there will be no punishment, leagues are weeks away from returning, will will also be without their coach Urs Fischer after quarantine for teams ahead of the restart. as it had only offered “guidelines” on how goals be watching to see how the rest of weekend breaking the team quarantine following the death However, advice to socially distance didn’t stop should be celebrated. goes. —AFP

homage to the strict hygiene rules that Schalke alternated players on the the fervent support that usually pours Odd sights the league has to follow. bench in order to respect social dis- from the stand. tancing rules while a contact sport was from Bundesliga SCHALKE TAKE FIVE being played out on the field. CLEAN BALLS, PLEASE Schalke became the first team to The decision to allow German foot- Klopp confident make use of the rule change that allows AUGSBURG FANS QUESTION ball to restart came with a host of gov- comeback five substitutions in a game, with David RESTART ernment regulations, including the Wagner using the maximum number at While fans across the world cele- masks on the bench and plexiglass sep- Liverpool can BERLIN: Germany gave football- Dortmund. brated being able to watch top-level arating players and journalists for post- starved fans reason to be cheerful on Timo Becker replaced Everton loa- live football after a two-month drought, match interviews. win league title Saturday with the Bundesliga’s return nee Jonjoe Kenny with three minutes some supporters questioned the wis- One of the rules states that match to action behind closed doors, on a day remaining as Schalke suffered dom in restarting the league. balls need to be regularly disinfected LONDON: Jurgen Klopp has insisted Liverpool in which Borussia Dortmund hammered a destruction at the hands of Lucien Augsburg followers hung a banner by personnel wearing gloves, as the have no need to be at their “all-time best” in order local rivals Schalke in an echoing Signal Favre’s flamboyant side. in front of an empty stand that read German Football League attempts to to clinch a first English league title in 30 years. Iduna Park. Favre, meanwhile, used four substi- “Football gives life — your business is limit the spread of the virus and finish Premier League officials are now aiming to restart Here AFP looks at some of the most tutions, with man-of-the-match sick” in protest at football being the 2019-20 season. the season in mid-June, with Liverpool just two eye-catching things from a memorable Raphael Guerreiro replaced by Marcel played while the pandemic still takes wins away from the title when the campaign was day in the history of the sport: Schmelzer in the final moments after lives across Europe. LEIPZIG GO ONE STEP BEYOND postponed on March 13 because of the coronavirus adding to Haaland’s opener with an There was little joy for the home RB Leipzig came up with a novel outbreak. HAALAND KEEPS IT SOCIALLY impressive brace. side on the pitch either, with Daniel solution to helping players obey For so long the dominant force in English foot- DISTANCED The increase in subs, approved by Ginczek’s stoppage time strike handing German Football League (DFL) rules ball, the Merseysiders have not been crowned Wonderkid striker Erling Braut the game’s lawmakers earlier this Wolfsburg a 2-1 win and deepening which stipulate there must be at least domestic champions in the Premier League era, Haaland began where he left off with month, was adopted by the Bundesliga Augsburg’s relegation fears. 1.5 metres distance between each per- with the last of their league titles coming when they the first Bundesliga goal of its restart to limit the risk of injury following two son on the substitutes bench. won the old First Division crown in 1990. after a two-month break caused by the months without matches. DORTMUND SALUTE With not enough room in the subs But as teams start returning to training, coronavirus. EMPTY WALL area for the matchday squad, some Liverpool manager Klopp has tried to ease any Haaland turned home Thorgan MASKED MEN LINE THE DUGOUT A resounding victory over Schalke players had to sit in the stands, which mounting pressure on his runaway leaders who are Hazard’s low cross just before the half As well as the unusual sight of nor- would usually see Dortmund’s players are three metres above the pitch and 25 points clear at the top. “Football is a game where hour to open the scoring against mally packed stands shorn of the bois- celebrating in front of a throbbing the dugout on the sidelines. everyone is pretty much in the same situation we Schalke. It was the 19-year-old’s 10th terous support that accompanies the ‘Yellow Wall’, the massive terrace So Leipzig borrowed a set of aircraft play against another team and we don’t have to be goal in just nine Bundesliga appear- Bundesliga, fans watching on TV saw behind the goal at Signal Iduna Park stairs which are normally used to board at our all-time best we have to be at our best possi- ances and set his team on their way to a players wearing masks on the sidelines. that holds up to 25,000 passionate fans. and disembark passengers from planes, ble and that’s exactly the same for the other teams,” thumping 4-0 derby victory. Players on the bench wore protec- However, with the stadium all-but- from nearby Halle/Leipzig airport. he told the BBC’s Football Focus programme. Instead of being mobbed by jubilant tive masks in compliance with the strin- empty and the only noise being the “Special situations require special “Whenever we will start we will have had the teammates, Haaland made sure that they gent safety guidelines implemented to cheers and clapping of players and measures. We are happy to help,” air- same time for preparation and our job was always, all kept their distance as he bobbed a allow the Bundesliga to resume before coaches, Dortmund still jogged over to port spokesman Uwe Schuhardt told and always will be, to use the situation you are in. cheeky little dance on the sidelines, in Europe’s other top leagues. applaud the ‘Sudtribune’ in honour of Bild. —AFP We will be in as good a shape as possible.” Meanwhile the German boss said he was des- perate to return to “normal life” after an unexpect- ed two-month break by getting back to Liverpool’s Kyrgios tells Melwood training base, where players will initially train in small groups. —AFP Murray ‘you are better than Novak’ Former Bears CEO LONDON: Nick Kyrgios told Andy Murray on Saturday the British tennis star was better than McCaskey dies at 76 world number one Novak Djokovic, claiming the Serb “dodges” his serve while the Scot “is on it like CHICAGO: Former Chicago Bears president and a light”. CEO Michael McCaskey, a grandson of George By his own estimate Kyrgios had drunk six glass- Halas, died after a lengthy battle with cancer, the es of wine when he logged on from his Canberra team announced Saturday. He was 76. home for an Instagram live chat with Murray that McCaskey, the eldest of Bears owner Virginia started after midnight for the Australian. McCaskey’s 11 children, succeeded Halas in running “My knowledge and interest in red wine has the team after the NFL co-founder died in 1983. gone incredibly up during this quarantine,” said McCaskey served as president and CEO until 1999, Kyrgios, well known for his withering comments then served as chairman from 1999 until 2011. about leading tennis players, even though the unde- “Mike was already successful in every sense of niably talented world number 40 has never gone the word when he took over for George S. Halas beyond the quarter-finals of a major championship. after the passing of ‘Papa Bear’ in 1983,” the Murray, however, appears to be one of his few McCaskey family said in a statement. “We are rivals Kyrgios respects, with the Scot having defeat- grateful to Mike for overseeing arguably the great- ed Djokovic in both the 2012 US Open and 2013 est team in NFL history, and for his many years of Wimbledon finals. Nick Kyrgios service to the Bears and to us. Djokovic, however, leads their head-to-head “The oldest of eleven siblings has many duties record 25-11 and has won 17 Grand Slam singles thrust upon him, not all of them pleasant, yet Mike titles to Murray’s three. That didn’t stop Kyrgios Kyrgios has endured a rocky relationship with the coronavirus outbreak. handled them all with grace and patience.” telling Murray: “I think you should have one of the Djokovic, once describing the Serb’s post-match Murray, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on McCaskey oversaw the 1985 Bears, who went best careers ever. I think you are better than ‘cup of love’ celebrations as “cringeworthy”. Friday, said: “I feel pretty good I was doing well 15-1 and won the franchise’s only Super Bowl with a Djokovic. Djokovic, claimed the Australian, had a “sick obses- before the injury at the Davis Cup. I think when team that is widely considered one of the best ever. “Djokovic was playing dodgeball on my serve sion with wanting to be liked”. things get back to normal I think I will be alright.” McCaskey was voted NFL Executive of the Year and you were slapping it for a winner. He was trying In one of the less bizarre parts of their Saturday Kyrgios suggested the pair should play doubles afterward by his peers. to dodge it, you were on it like a light.” Murray conversation Kyrgios asked Murray, who has long together, prompting a wry Murray to reply: “Only if He also helped the team move into its new facility responded by saying: “The results would suggest been sidelined with hip, and more recently, thigh you promise to behave, you said you were going in 1997 and co-founded the team’s charitable foun- otherwise.” injuries when he might be back on court following to.” —AFP dation, Bears Care, in 2005. —Reuters