Three players at FC Cologne have tested positive for Covid-19, striking a major blow to the Bundesliga’s plans to be the first major football league to return and highlighting just how far the Premier League are from being able to comeback, despite all their bluster in the press.

MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY - MARCH 11: Borussia Moenchengladbach celebrate victory outside the stadium gates after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and 1. FC Koeln at Borussia-Park on March 11, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. For the first time in the history of the German Bundesliga the match is played behind closed doors as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY – MARCH 11: Borussia Moenchengladbach celebrate victory outside the stadium gates after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and 1. FC Koeln at Borussia-Park on March 11, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. For the first time in the history of the German Bundesliga the match is played behind closed doors as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bongarts/Getty Images)

For some reason, despite handling this current pandemic worse than most other countries, the UK are still talking about bringing back the Premier League before the end of the summer.

With Germany handling the medical crisis far better than the UK government, they would seem better placed to get up and going long before anything happens in the Premier League.

germany v uk covid stats2
via Google

However, this latest news will come both as a blow to football and as no surprise.

3 german positives
Daily Mail, 2 May 2020

A virus isn’t just like bad weather, it won’t just suddenly change or go away and it’s why so many players are scared of returning to play.