State health ministers are due to hold a conference call later on the matter but no definitive decision is expected. Last week the German Football League (DFL) agreed a concept which would allow some spectators back with personalized tickets while not allowing standing, away supporters or alcohol.

But with novel coronavirus cases ticking up again, Soeder wants to move cautiously. The Bundesliga was the first major European league to return behind closed doors in May from a two-month coronavirus suspension.

“I was very much in favour of the start of games without fans and it went very well. But I’m extremely sceptical about stadiums being full at the start of the Bundesliga season. I can’t imagine it at the moment,” Soeder, tipped by many in Germany to follow Angela Merkel as chancellor next year, told reporters in Nuremberg.

“It’s also not wise, when we have school starting, when we have early autumn, to consider that we will have an additional 20,000, 25,000 people in stadiums,” he added after an impromptu video conference of his cabinet.

He said he will try to hold a conference call of state premiers on the issue in the last week of August, in coordination with the federal government.

“I can imagine full stadiums perhaps during the season, but not at the start of the Bundesliga,” he remarked.

The Bundesliga kicks off on the third weekend in September, with the first round of the German Cup coming a week earlier.

A return of fans could also have a “destructive effect on the public both in terms of medical capacity and on cultural events,” Soeder added.