Germany's Bundesliga will return behind closed doors in the second half of May.
Chancellor Angela Merkel held a conference call with the country's 16 regional premiers this afternoon where the safety protocols surrounding 'ghost games' were agreed upon.
The German Football League (DFL) will discuss an exact return date at a board meeting tomorrow. Possible dates for the resumption are May 15 or May 22.
Bild claim the reason for the green light from the federal government was the "special position of professional athletes".
Late last month, the DFL presented its Task Force Sports Medicine / Special Game Operation document outlining how games could be staged in the safest possible manner upon the league's resumption.
82 games remain left to be played in this season's Bundesliga, with Werder Bremen v Eintracht Frankfurt still outstanding from matchday 25.
It's believed the state of Bremen were today pushing for a later start date, as they claim the Werder squad are not yet fit enough.
Possible dates for the DFB Cup semi-finals and final will also be discussed.
As per the DFL's roadmap document, all clubs must enter a quarantine period before the first ball can be kicked in anger.
Players and backroom teams at all clubs in the top two divisions have been tested over the past ten days.
In the first week of testing, 1,724 tests were carried out with ten returning positive.
FC Koln provided three of those positive tests, while Borussia Monchengladbach have provided two positives among the second tranche of testing.
The government have requested that all tests conducted around the Bundesliga "registered in the healthcare system are treated with priority at all times."
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge welcomed the decision, saying, "I would like to thank the politicians for giving today's decision the opportunity to end the Bundesliga season.
"We are now looking forward to ideally resuming play from mid-May. This ensures that the sporting decisions are made on the pitch and not on the table.
"I would like to expressly thank the DFL and the Task Force Medicine for the excellent organisational and medical concept.
"I appeal to everyone involved to follow the requirements of these concepts, which are the basis for resuming gaming, in an exemplary and extremely disciplined manner."
Speaking earlier this morning, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn said, "It was important to "give professional sports a perspective as a whole, it is also about economic issues".
Football isn't the only sport to benefit from today's Bundestag discussions.
Horse racing in Germany will restart at Hanover tomorrow after being given the clearance from the authorities.
The sport has also been on hold since March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
