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The well-worn maxim of Germans generally to exhibit "action not talk" was epitomised in the Bundesliga's successful return this weekend while demonstrating to the Absa Premiership and others worldwide how to deal with uncompleted League Championships.
Five Bundesliga games played on Saturday and Sunday without spectators attracted over six million TV viewers on each day, left an engrossing title race with Bayern Munich still in command and provided no major incident or outcome.
Not that Germany is naive in this respect while openly stating that there are bound to be unhappy and even distressing outcomes along the way before a Bundesliga champion for the 2019/20 season is determined.
Indeed the German Football Federation has already postponed one Second Division game until further notice because two players from one of the clubs involved had incurred the dreaded coronavirus and their players were now quarantined for 14 days.
"This is the kind of thing we must expect in these troubled times of the virus pandemic," commented one official, "but we have prepared for it methodically and in minute detail and will do everything within our means to overcome whatever arises - at the same time knowing full well that the situation could deteriorate to a point where we are stymied and our hands are tied in the end."
A stoic, characteristic but commendable attitude of the purposeful Prussian country and in contrast to the situation in South Africa where no one seems to know where the Absa Premiership is going - even though the PSL and SAFA have now belatedly formed a joint committee to discuss within a period of 14 days how to settle the issue. The South African government - the final arbitrator in the matter - is also vague and non-committal as to its ultimate attitude.
So, the situation remains in the air in regard to the PSL title with an approximate eight rounds of games unplayed, Kaizer Chiefs at the top of the log with a four-point advantage over defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, but having played an extra match and leaving the position intriguingly balanced between the two leading contenders.
Neither of the alternatives to completing the Absa Premiership, that of awarding the title to Chiefs from a closely contested race or declaring the 2019/20 season as terminated without a champion, would be satisfactory in any logical assessment.
Also, it is undeniable that a soccer-mad nation in which morale is understandably at a disturbingly low level beyond the bounds of the millions of fans, would be boosted and provided with a needed alternative talking point while viewing games on TV, despite there being no spectators present and subjected to other restrictions.
Remember also the comment of Newcastle United manager and former Manchester United captain, Steve Bruce, that he would feel safer during the present pandemic "playing in a soccer match than going shopping in a supermarket."
