The top two divisions in Czech football will be allowed to restart after a month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“For professional athletes, sports are a job and we want to allow them to get back to work,” Health Minister Jan Blatny told reporters.
Sports competitions were stopped in the Czech Republic on October 12 amid a record surge in virus infections.
The move led indoor sports clubs to look for training venues abroad, while several ice hockey clubs shared an outdoor rink near Prague.
Only a handful of international events including a WTA tennis tournament in the eastern city of Ostrava have been granted an exemption.
The government has agreed to allow exceptions under strict conditions. Football will be the first to resume. The games will be played in empty stadiums.
The top division says all players and staff will have to undergo virus tests between games. The league will restart with a match between Jablonec and Brno on Friday.
Czech clubs Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague and Liberec were allowed to play in the Europa League despite the ban on games in the country. They all currently have several players who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Support Prague Morning!
We are proud to provide our readers from around the world with independent, and unbiased news for free.
Our dedicated team supports the local community, foreign residents and visitors of all nationalities through our website, social media and newsletter.
We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to, we ask you to support Prague Morning by making a contribution – no matter how small 🙂 .