Merkel and the 16 provincial heads ended hours of video conference talks on Wednesday with an eagerly anticipated declaration that came as part of measures aimed at easing the nationwide lockdown in the country.
German leaders imposed strict rules on its population during March as part of the effort to battle the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
A combination of social distancing, testing and tracing has allowed Germany to boast a relatively low death rate of just under 7,000 while neighbouring Italy and France have each registered nearly 30,000 deaths.
Play according to plan
"Matches will be allowed under the approved rules," said Merkel on Wednesday referring to a plan from the German Football League (DFL) for the Bundesliga to resume in empty stadiums and with players regularly tested as the final nine matches are played out.
Since training resumed on 4 April, there have been 10 positive results from the 1,724 tests carried out.
The politicians’ clearance makes the German top-flight the first of Europe's five major leagues to return to the field.
When the action halted there was a four way tussle for the title. Bayern Munich boasted 55 points from their 25 games. Borussia Dortmund were second with 51 while RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach lent drama to the chase with 50 and 49 points respectively.
The DFL, which will meet on Thursday, will define a date for the restart.
Big employer
In the prelude to Wednesday’s decision, health minister, Jens Spahn signalled the political willingness for a resumption of a sector that employs 56,000 people in Germany.
He said the scheme for testing could serve as an example for other professional sports. “But it has to be lived up to,” he warned.
Politicians in France and the Netherlands were not as munificent as Spahn and his colleagues.
The Dutch football season was abandoned two weeks ago with four teams fighting for the Eredivise title. None of the sides were given the title. Neither was there promotion from the second tier or relegation from the top flight.
France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel announced last week an end to the season with 10 games remaining.
Paris Saint-Germain were awarded the first division title while Lorient and Lens were promoted from the second division to replace Amiens and Toulouse.
Players in Italy's Serie A and Spain’s La Liga are in training for a possible return to action within the next weeks. England’s Premier League clubs are discussing the best way to restart a sport in a country that has the highest death rates from the pandemic.
