A packed stadium. The roar of the crowd, drums beating, nerves breaking, and 90 nail-biting minutes of high drama in which anything can happen. That is what football is all about.

That was until Covid-19 brought an abrupt end to all sporting events. When Germany's elite football league, the BundesligaGermany's top tier football league is comprised of 18 teams and is ranked third in Europe behind Spain and England. It has the highest attendance levels of any football league in the world., resumed play this weekend, the game looked and felt very different. They are calling them "Geisterspiele" (ghost games).

To prevent infection, only 350 people were allowed into a 42,000 seat stadium. Playing in eerie silence, the players wore face masks and elbow-bumpedThis alternative to the traditional handshake first appeared during the 2006 avian flu outbreak and is now back to fight Covid-19. It now even has its own emoji. their teammates. Goal celebrations were subdued, the ball was thoroughly disinfected and the whole event was a rather serious affair.

But it was, at least, football. And record numbers652,000 people watched the main game on Saturday afternoon, more than five times the usual Bundesliga audience and similar to normal Premier League viewing figures. of viewers tuned in to watch, desperate for entertainment after two months starved of the nation's favourite sport.

More than half the world's population follows football, with big games attracting almost a billion viewers. For many, it is much more than a game. It fires the imagination, brings friends and communities together, and turns footballers into superstars and household names.

It is also big business, worth $600 billion globally. And at the top of this industry is the English Premier LeagueThe EPL was founded in 1992 to take advantage of highly-profitable TV broadcasting rights. The revenue from these rights allows the 20 clubs to buy the world's best footballers., watched by a staggering 4.7 billion people. The rights to air matches are sold across 200 different countries for eye-watering amounts of money.

And that's creating a big problem for English football. No matches have been played since 11 March and broadcasters want their money back.

If clubs go insolvent and begin to fail, the effects could be disastrous. At least 100,000 jobs in the UK depend on football and it contributes 7.6 billion to the UK economy. The Football AssociationThe governing body that oversees English football is currently negotiating "Project Restart" to agree the safest way for players to train and teams to play the season's remaining fixtures. desperately needs the Premier League to resume play.

Meanwhile, the German league is filling the vacuum. Over half a million UK viewers watched Borussia Dortmund beat Schalke 4-0 on Saturday, putting them a step closer to ending Bayern MunichThe biggest complaint made about German football is that it is dominated by one club. Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga 28 times and has arguably the best striker in the world, Robert Lewandowski.'s seven-year winning streak.

Supporters of the German game say it is much more about the fans than English football. And right now, they have a unique opportunity to capture a wider audience and steal the crown from the Premier League.

No, for many fans, the Premier League will always be number one. It has a huge global following that will stay loyal even through hard times. Other leagues are dominated by one or two top teams, but there are seven or eight teams in the Premier League, with a chance at winning the title. This open, competitive, and unpredictable English game is what makes it the most exciting and most-watched league on the planet.

Other say, yes, this is the opportunity for the Germans to shine. In recent years, the Premier League has become all about money and the clubs are run like multi-national companies, ignoring their loyal fans. The current crisis will cut them down to size and, in the meantime, fans will get a chance to sample and enjoy a different - even better - kind of football.