DFL establishes medical task force amid coronavirus pandemic

Amid coronavirus pandemic, Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) on Tuesday announced the establishment of "Sports Medicine/Special Match Operations Task Force" to draw up a concept for the medically justifiable resumption of match operations and training.

Frankfurt [Germany], Mar 31 : Amid coronavirus pandemic, Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) on Tuesday announced the establishment of "Sports Medicine/Special Match Operations Task Force" to draw up a concept for the medically justifiable resumption of match operations and training.

"A medical task force has been established to draw up a concept for the medically justifiable resumption of match operations and training. The task force will begin by centrally documenting all COVID-19 cases at the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs," DFL said in a statement.

"The commission is also developing a procedure for the strict and independent testing of players and other staff members, including immediately prior to matchdays. In addition, orgsational measures for preventing transmission at stadiums (hygiene, disinfection, distancing, etc.) and specific processes for orgsing matches and training will be defined in close cooperation with external experts and authorities and set out in the form of standardised guidelines," the statement added.

The task force will be headed by Tim Meyer, Medical Director of the Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine at Saarland University and team doctor for the German national team.

Other members include Barbara Gartner (medical specialist for microbiology and infection epidemiology; Saarland University), Werner Krutsch (medical specialist for orthopaedics and trauma surgery; FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, University Medical Centre, Regensburg) and Markus Braun (senior physician at the sports medicine department of Klinikum Westfalen, team doctor for Borussia Dortmund and spokesperson for the team doctors in Germany).

DFL on March 25 announced the postponement of Bundesliga until at least April 30.

"The Executive Committee is aware that all scenarios and options for action also depend on external factors, over which the DFL and clubs have no or only limited influence, including the further spread of the virus and political assessments of the situation," DFL had said in a statement.

"In this light, the Executive Committee will recommend towards the Ordinary Assembly a further suspension of match operations in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 until at least 30 April," it added.

( With inputs from ANI )