Bundesliga mulling postponement until start of April

• The president of the DFL will propose at the general assembly on Monday to interrupt matches in the two leagues from Tuesday until the end of the international window.
• The DFL and the clubs are in constant contact with the federal health department and the local authorities... the rule is the orders from these authorities must be applied.
• The goal is still to get to the end of the season before the summer, for sporting reasons.

BERLIN: The German football league (DFL) has announced it will propose on Monday suspending the top two divisions until at least April 2 over the coronavirus pandemic.

"The president of the DFL will propose at the general assembly on Monday to interrupt matches in the two leagues from Tuesday until the end of the international window," read a statement on Friday.

This weekend's Bundesliga games will go ahead behind closed doors. German health minister Jens Spahn has called for all events with more than 1,000 people to be cancelled "until further notice".

But the decision to close stadium doors rests ultimately with regional authorities and is made on a case-by-case basis.

"The DFL and the clubs are in constant contact with the federal health department and the local authorities... the rule is the orders from these authorities must be applied," the league's statement added.

"The goal is still to get to the end of the season before the summer, for sporting reasons, but also because a permanent stoppage to the season would put the survival of certain clubs in danger."

An extension of the season into June would require postponing Euro 2020, which is due to start June 12. European football's governing body will hold a crisis meeting next Tuesday to discuss its response to the virus outbreak.