The German Bundesliga season will resume this month Chancellor Angela Merkel has confirmed.

The Bundesliga will be the first of Europe’s top five domestic leagues to restart following the coronavirus outbreak, which has brought football to a standstill around the world.

All matches will be played without fans and the exact date for the resumption will be decided by the German Football League (DFL) on Thursday.

The league has been on hold since mid-March because of the outbreak.

With nine games remaining, Bayern Munich are top of the table, four points above Borussia Dortmund.

Players returned to training last month, with the DFL initially saying the league would be ready to return on 9 May.

Large gatherings remain banned in Germany until 24 October but the DFL has developed a health and safety protocol that would see only about 300 people or near the pitch during matches, to minimise the risk of infection.