“It will certainly be many months, but it could also be up to a year and a half,” Haug told public broadcasters ARD on Monday night.

German football has been suspended since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, and clubs and officials hope to complete the season with games behind closed doors from May onwards.

They will also have a desire to bring the fans back into the arenas at some stage but Haug said it would “certainly be wise” not to open the stadiums as long as there is no vaccine.

Scientists have said that it could take until the end of the year, or even longer, to have a vaccine against the Sars-CoV-2 virus in place.

Leopoldina on Monday issued a report dealing with the possible easing of coronavirus-related restrictions in the country. Chancellor Angela Merkel has named the study very important but Haug said “the timetable must come from the political side.”

Current restrictions in Germany are in place until April 19. Merkel and the prime ministers of the federal states are to discuss the next steps on Wednesday.

German Football League members then meet Friday to look into how to proceed. The main aim is to secure the 750 million euros (819 million dollars) in television and sponsoring income which would only happen if the season is completed.