France was right to end its football season, said the country's sports minister on Monday, casting doubt on the wisdom of restarting the Bundesliga, despite the coronavirus pandemic, at the weekend.
"It was important for me to give primacy to the health and the psychological well-being of athletes over economic considerations, which, indeed, in other countries, have taken precedence," said Roxana Maracineanu on a visit to the French high performance institute (INSEP) on the outskirts of Paris.
While the French league season has been declared over with Paris Saint-Germain champions, the Bundesliga resumed on Saturday, behind closed doors.
"Each country was affected differently" by Covid-19, said Maracineanu, who also pointed to the German federal system in which "the regions make their own decisions, whether it's to reopen schools or resume sport."