Bayern Munich: Lucas Hernandez pessimistic about completion of CL
Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez raises concerns about Champions League football this season.
The 2019/20 season came to a standstill at the start of March due to coronavirus pandemic. Bayern Munich have not kicked a ball for more than a month as there is a cloud of doubt hovering over the resumption of competitive football.
The domestic leagues in Europe have been indefinitely suspended. UEFA has also postponed the Champions League and Europa League games once leagues decided on suspension. DFL is expecting to resume Bundesliga in May, but even that looks like wishful thinking.
Die Roten were motoring along in all competitions. The club had regained the top spot in the Bundesliga and booked a place in the semifinals of DFB Pokal. They were scheduled to host Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League before football was suspended. The club already had one foot in quarterfinals due to a massive 3-0 lead on aggregate from the first leg.
Lucas Hernandez has raised concerns about playing Champions League games again this season. Speaking to L’Equipe (via Goal), Hernandez admitted that it is impossible to play European games due to constraints over travelling across countries.
"“You have to be realistic. I think it will be impossible to finish in the Champions League in these times, especially if we favour ending the domestic leagues.”“The Champions League concerns all the countries affected by coronavirus. It will be difficult to get everyone out of lockdown, to be in similar condition but also just to meet up, to travel to Italy, Spain, England or France.”"
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Apart from travelling issues, Hernandez also raised concerns about the cramping of fixtures if all competitions are resumed. At the moment, domestic competitions are only likely to be played out. FIFA has already granted permission to indefinitely extend the 2019/20 campaign.
The governing body has also released a statement on expiring contracts and possible delay in the opening of the summer transfer window. There is going to be a massive impact on the transfers due to the ongoing pandemic. Uli Hoeness has already insisted that clubs are unlikely to pay big transfer fees for players.
Bayern is unlikely to get a massive financial hit if the season is considered void. However, the smaller clubs in Germany will suffer as they rely on matchday and broadcast revenue. Along with the other three top clubs in Germany, Die Roten has already donated €20 million to help smaller clubs to fight financial problems during the pandemic.
Next. Grades for new arrivals in 2019/20. dark
Rekordmeister will be gutted if Champions League is cancelled this season as they looked good to go all the way in the competition. At the moment, football is not the most important thing now, and Die Roten can surely come back strong next year to win the trophy.