A leaked document from Germany's Ministry of Labour has unveiled how the Bundesliga are preparing to resume amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The German Football League (DFL) announced on Thursday that they were confident football in the country could return as early as May 9 if it is given the go-ahead by politicians.
Games will be played behind closed doors but there is a determination by the DFL to finish the current Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. season.
Documents acquired by Spiegel Sports suggest that there will be meticulous measures put in place to protect the safety of the players, which could include seeing them wearing masks during matches.
The document states that players would be ordered to not touch the masks while the game is ongoing, and the referee would have the ability to halt the action if one were to fall off.
They would also be urged not to touch each other where possible - for example, they are to be told to avoid hugging after goals - and to stand 1.5 metres away from each other during breaks in play.
DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said on Thursday: "If we start on 9 May, we are ready. If it is later, we will be ready again.
"For us, what is decisive is what the politicians will decide. It is not for us to decide when.
"Games without spectators are not what we want - but at the moment the only thing that seems feasible."
Other top European leagues may choose to see how successfully Germany manage to carry out matches before making a decision of their own as to how to proceed.
The Dutch Eredivisie has already decided there will be no further games this season, however, with an announcement on Friday that the current campaign is to be abandoned with no title winner and no teams relegated.
Currently in the Bundesliga Bayern Munich are top of the table, four points above their nearest challengers Dortmund, while Paderborn are bottom and Werder Bremen 19th.
