A Bundesliga captain has criticised German football bosses for their plan to resume the domestic game next month.
It remains unclear whether the German top two divisions will be able to start again, despite their initial wish to return to action in May.
It has been mooted that up to one-third of clubs in the top two divisions of German football would be in severe financial difficulty if the season does not resume, as they may not receive funds from broadcast companies.
Training at some clubs has begun again this time but Christian Strohdiek, the captain of bottom club Paderborn, has doubts about resuming competitive football.
‘Schools are closed and so many people stay at home, and [yet we are talking about starting] to play football,’ he said. ‘We want to play football and we want to finish the season but in this moment it’s very difficult to believe we can start to play.
‘It’s a strange situation because we love this game – but it’s a game. If someone is sick, it is more important that they get the testing.’
Although the squads have reconvened, social distancing rules mean that training sessions are far from normal, with players asked to work with only a limited number of colleagues.
Physical contact is also impossible, meaning that drills for defenders like Strohdiek are severely restricted.
He told the BBC’s World Football programme: ‘We train in groups of six. Every group has its own changing room and we work a lot on passing and running, a little bit of tactics, shooting at goal. These are the only things we can do.
‘It’s not really normal. It’s football, it’s my job, but people in many other jobs have to stay at home. We go out and play football. I’m a worker and I have to do it. It doesn’t matter how we feel.’
When the Bundesliga was halted last month, Paderborn had 16 points, six points adrift of a relegation play-off spot.