Breaking: DFL suspends the Bundesliga, Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich will NOT go ahead

It’s official — after coming under severe criticism, the DFL has reversed its decision to allow Bundesliga games to be played behind closed doors this weekend. This means that Bayern Munich’s game against Union Berlin will not go ahead as planned, and will instead be postponed. This is in response to the coronavirus outbreak that is currently sweeping through Germany and Europe.

By opting to suspend fixtures, the league falls in line with La Liga, Serie A, and every other top league in Europe by suspending play until April. This suspension puts the entire season into doubt, and there’s a chance that the league could end without a champion being declared. Bayern Munich, who currently sit at the top of the table, would definitely not want to see such a thing come to pass.

As for the decision itself — good idea, and it took them long enough. At least the DFL have the sense to listen to some criticism, instead of burying their heads in the sand for that sweet TV money. Thiago Alcantara even called them “irresponsible” and “imprudent”. Meanwhile, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge looks a little bit silly after the comments he made justifying the decision to play. He should’ve just kept shut.

Hopefully these steps help contain the outbreak in Germany and Europe, and things return to normal as soon as possible. For those of us who were looking forward to exciting games of football, this obviously sucks, but the decision is more than justified given the scale of the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak.