Austria plans to restart Bundesliga in early June

VIENNA: Austrian authorities on Tuesday set out a plan for the restart of the country’s top-flight in June, after the season had been on hold since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The president of the Austrian Football League Christian Ebenbauer said “as regards the schedule, if full training restarts on May 15, then I assume we can continue the championship in the first week of June.”

Team training is due to start this Friday, having previously only been allowed with a reduced number of players and matches will be held behind closed doors.

Players will have to undergo regular tests for the virus. In the case of a positive result, the squad member affected will have to go into a 14-day quarantine and the rest of the outfit will have to be re-tested.

The exact date for the campaign to restart is yet to be determined.

RB Salzburg face second-division Austria Lustenau in the Austrian Cup final which may be held in late May.

The Austrian Bundesliga has ten rounds left of the season, with Linz’s LASK currently leading three points ahead of RB Salzburg, who have won the title for the last six years.

Football leagues are gradually re-starting across Europe, with Germany’s Bundesliga returning on Saturday, Hungary’s season returning on May 23 and those in several other countries, including Portugal, expected in early June.