MISSING football? Live feeds of Minsk v Neman Grodno (this coming Friday night, Belarussian footy fans) not cutting it for you? Relax. This weekend sees the return of the Bundesliga. Germany is the first major European league to return to action in the coronavirus era. It is proving rather controversial.

Why is this happening?

Germany is further down the line in its dealings with the pandemic and the German government gave approval for football’s return last week. That means the Bundesliga will resume after a 61-day absence

What steps have been taken to let this happen?

The German league has had to draw up detailed regulations and guidance for both matches and training, with stringent testing at its heart.

Hmm. How does that line go? “The best-laid plans …?”

Do indeed “Gang aft a-gley,” as Robert Burns told us (he actually used the word “schemes”, but no matter). The German health secretary Jens Spahn could have been channelling Burns when, despite giving approval to the return of the Bundesliga, he pointed out that it’s one thing planning to restart playing and another to actually carry it out.

Why the rush?

Money. Isn’t it always when it comes to football? Up to half of the Bundesliga’s 36 clubs in the top two divisions could be in severe financial difficulties if football doesn’t return, according to Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert. Gelsenkirchen club Schalke 04 has admitted its very existence might be threatened. It’s estimated that clubs would lose somewhere in the region of £750 million if the leagues were cancelled.

Is it safe?

Well, that’s the question. At the start of last week, it was announced that some 10 players and staff tested positive for the virus after widespread testing of first and second division . That was followed by news that two players from Dynamo Dresden had the virus. That has led to Dresden’s local health authority ordering the whole squad into quarantine for the next fortnight, meaning they are unable to play their first two games in the new schedule. They’re not even able to train.

Who is paying for all these tests?

German football is paying for them and, to be fair, there is no sense that football is taking tests away from more important areas of society, as Germany has the capacity to do 860,000 tests daily (although, as we in the UK know, there is a big difference between capacity and actual tests completed).

Are the players ready?

Training resumed in April with players asked to respect social distancing. Some of them wore masks. Not that everyone has embraced the new reality. Former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou was suspended by his current club Hertha Berlin last week after fist-bumping and shaking hands with other players in the dressing room and interrupting a teammate’s testing, all on Facebook Live.

Singing a song about the virus and moaning about pay cuts probably didn’t help his cause either.