Didi Hamann believes that a return to top flight football in Germany is only a matter of weeks away, and the RTÉ Sport pundit expects the plan to get the government green light later this week.
The former German international does not expect Bundesliga football to resume as soon as 9 May, which is a date mooted for the resumption of the league, however, he does feel that a viable plan is in place to see the action return in the middle of the month.
"I don't think it is realistic to come back on 9 May," said Hamann, speaking to RTÉ Sport.
"There is a meeting on Thursday between the government of the states and Angela Merkel. They have worked out a concept that was approved by the politicians so it is looking more like 16 May or 23 May.
"The league have put real detail into this and there is only about 150 or 170 people allowed inside the stadium, while laboratories who will do tests with results within a few hours, and while it may sound a bit early, we are probably one or two weeks ahead of the UK, Ireland and the States."
But even if the league gets the green light to return, Hamann expects other issues to present themselves before the top flight returns to its conclusion.
Player welfare is a major concern, while the probability of a quarantine scenario will also have to be agreed, not forgetting the potential for mental health issues for those expected to perform.
"The players, that is a big thing, and psychologically it may not be easy. I have spoken to some club officials, and players wives are worried that they could get infected.
"And maybe some players have problems going into tackles and close contact with other players."
The league plan to have the facilities in place to test all participants ahead of each game to ensure that there are no infected players on the pitch, but it has yet to be agreed as to how the players will social distance between games.
"Tests will take place the day before or even the day of the game to rule out infected players being on the pitch
"The DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) have not decided yet what the players need to do in between games, and there is a chance that they would have to quarantine for six to seven weeks.
"So they would play the game, go back to the hotel, train the next day and go back to the hotel, which is another situation that these guys are not used to."
Bayern Munich currently lead the Bundesliga, four and five points clear of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig respectively with nine league games remaining in the current campaign.
And while there will certainly be a demand to watch the games on television in the absence of fans inside the stadium, Hamann explained that the pressure to finish the competition is coming from internal sources like the league and clubs rather than the broadcasters.
"The clubs and the league are keen to finish the season because there is television money at stake. They have made a deal with Sky, who have paid some of the money up front.
"So all the effort has been coming from within the football league because there are 36 professional clubs and between 15 and 18 may have serious problems financially if the season is not finished.
"It looks positive that a final conclusion can be reached and we can complete the league."
Hamann feels the resumption of football will give hope to other leagues around Europe to get their campaigns completed, while it will also prove positive for society in general.
"If it works in the Bundesliga, I don't think there is any reason why other leagues cannot start their football again.
"The question is often asked 'is football above society?', but I think people need hope now, and I think football can play a major part because I think it can be a catalyst.
"If football starts again, people will think that we are through the worst of it and it will give a lot of people hope."
One group of football supporters who certainly need hope at this stage are those of Hamann's former club, Liverpool, who were within touching distance of securing their first league title in thirty years before the coronavirus crisis kicked in.
Hamann fully expects the Anfield club to get over the line eventually but admits that it will be strange for the Reds to win the title with no fans there to witness it.
"They have to stay positive and I think the major leagues will finish their seasons. I think Liverpool will win it and I think they deserve to win it.
"It would be a shame to win it without any fans being there but it shouldn’t take away anything from the outstanding season that they have played.
"They will win the league, and then they can lift that Premier League trophy for the first time in 30 years."
We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on: Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
