Bundesliga return pushed back at least a week until May 16 as coronavirus cases rise in Germany after lockdown relaxed

GERMANY'S Bundesliga will not return until at least May 16 as the date has been pushed back.

Top flight clubs have already returned to training as the league was expected to resume on May 9.

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But the decision of when the Bundesliga will return has now been delayed until Wednesday this week - meaning it will not go ahead as planned.

German clubs were warned this week that the country were cautious of causing a second wave of coronavirus by easing restrictions.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "We have achieved so much, but we are not out of the woods yet, and we cannot gamble it all away."

It has been confirmed that all Bundesliga professionals will undergo Covid-19 tests on a weekly basis.

And a number of precautions are expected to be in place when the top flight eventually returns.

Players will have to travel to matches on separate buses and are banned from having sex if they or their partner show symptoms.

For the match itself, the two sets of teams will not come out of the tunnel together nor will they have mascots or handshakes.

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SunSport reported that there will be a maximum of 322 people in the ground at any time including four police officers, 10 journalists and four ball kids.

The German Football League is determined to finish the season as planned - rather than declaring it null and void.

But the country have declared that large events with crowds will be banned until at least October 24.