NO MORE GAMES IN GERMANY: volleyball Bundesliga ends the season!

The German Volleyball Bundesliga responds to the rapidly changing situation surrounding the precautions to contain the coronavirus in Germany and not only. After an intensive exchange with all Bundesliga clubs, the VBL board made the decision on Thursday evening to end the Bundesliga season, both men and women, with immediate effect.
This means that there will be no German volleyball champion in the 2019/20 season. In addition, the board decided that there will be no relegations due to this unusual situation. Soon will be decided the final ranking in the charts and the relative places in the European Cups.

The immediate suspension of the championship, for the first time in history, means that additional trips and the associated increased risks of infection for players and not only are avoided.
Moreover, the tight schedule of the World Volleyball Federation (FIVB), which will continue to provide matches in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) from May 19, makes it impossible to postpone the outstanding games.
In addition, some foreign players have already asked to be allowed to return to their home countries while travel from Germany is still possible.
And, eventually, there are the economic reasons….
Playing behind closed doors, without an audience, the clubs lose an important source of income and, on the other hand, hall rent and travel expenses for ghost games would have been incurred.

Source and photo: Volleyball-Bundesliga.de