Merkel rules out fans in Bundesliga stadiums

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out the possibility that fans would return to stadiums ahead of the start of the new German football season next month, multiple reports said on Monday.

During a virtual meeting with members of her center-right CDU party, Merkel made it clear that coronavirus restrictions in football stadiums won't be relaxed, according to the German news agency DPA.

The German chancellor cited rising coronavirus cases in Germany in recent months, according to mass-circulation daily Bild. The nation has so far averaged nearly 900 new cases per day in August after averaging less than 500 in July.

Health ministers from Germany's 16 states agreed last week that opening stadiums before October 31, until when large gatherings are banned in the country, was not advisable. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn also said that "thousands of spectators in stadiums does not match the current infection rate."

The German Football League, the company that operates the nation's top two divisions, accepted the decision despite developing a concept to allow fans to return.

The Bundesliga was the first top European league to complete its season in its entirety after going on hiatus in March. Both the German top-flight and second division played their last seven matchdays from mid-May to the beginning of July with no fans allowed in the venue.

Only one team in the top two divisions, Dynamo Dresden, was forced to postpone matches due to positive COVID-19 tests. The entire team was forced to undergo a 14-day quarantine after two players tested positive, and the side was forced to play seven games in 19 days to make up for lost time.

The new German football season is set to begin on September 11 with the first round of the German Cup. The Bundesliga campaign is scheduled to kick off a week later on September 18.