Professional soccer will return to Russia on June 21

Professional soccer in Russia has a return date. The Russian Premier League announced on Friday that it will return to play on June 21, following a decision by the Russian Football Union, the country’s official governing body of soccer. The games will be played in empty stadiums without fans present.

Meanwhile, the remaining games this season for Russia’s two lower levels of soccer — the Russian Football National League and the Professional Football League — have been canceled.

Professional sports games have been suspended everywhere across Europe, except in Belarus, where local officials have largely ignored the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. The German Bundesliga will resume play this coming week, albeit without fans. The English Premier League is expected to resume play in June.