Bayern Munich's 'concept' to get fans back into stadiums may be the next step in football's return to normality... Bundesliga champions could see 8,000 supporters return to Allianz Arena by end of October but face opposition from health ministers

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Following the success of Project Restart and football's triumphant return in the midst of a pandemic, the next steps in a return to normality for the sport are being laid out.

Before the Bundesliga's return in mid-May, German football created a blueprint for the rest of Europe on how the beautiful game could return in a controlled manner while containing the spread of the coronavirus.

After months of planning, the German Football League (DFL) successfully pioneered football's safe return – and is now looking to go one step further.

Bayern Munich revealed that they've come up with a 'concept' to get fans back in stadiums 

On Tuesday, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that the club has been working on a new 'concept' to get fans safely back into stadiums to watch live football after months of playing behind closed doors.

He claimed a successful 'inspection' of the Allianz Arena had been carried out and that he was optimistic supporters could return in some capacity in the near future.

'I don't enjoy football without fans,' Rummenigge said on Tuesday, according to Kicker. 

'There was an inspection at Allianz Arena. We have a concept that's been implemented very well. There's a chance that we'll soon be able to welcome fans again in the arena.'

Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said an inspection of the Allianz Arena has been made

Rummenigge (left) is optimistic that fans could return in some capacity in the near future

While more details are yet to be discovered on Bayern's concept, reports of getting thousands of fans inside the Allianz Arena at a reduced capacity could become a reality should they be granted the approval from government ministers in the country.

There are hopes this type of plan could be implemented by the start of the new Bundesliga campaign, which is due to start on September 18, but Rummenigge is facing a few political hurdles before he can put his plan into operation.

Currently, Bavaria has a ban on large events taking place until the end of October but Sportsmail understands that the city's administration is open to the idea of spectators returning at a reduced capacity, just as long as a rigid contact-tracing protocol is in place.

However, Bayern will need to be a bit more cautious in their attempts compared to the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, who have already begun talks over allowing 15,000 and 21,000 fans back in respectively.

Rummenigge will also need the blessing of the Bavarian Minister President, Markus Soder, who has taken a safety-first approach in regards to how the pandemic should be handled.

Borussia Dortmund have begun discussions over hosting games at a reduced capacity

Should they get the green light, Bayern would realistically only see 5,000 to 8,000 supporters walk through the turnstiles by mid-October.

Another obstacle would also be convincing Germany's health ministers, who refused to give the DFL's proposals to bring back fans the green light on Monday.

It comes after 36 clubs in Germany's top two tiers of men's football held a virtual meeting earlier this month to outline their proposals for the return of fans.

A part of those proposals would see fans being banned from drinking beer or standing in the terraces to begin with, while only home fans would be allowed to attend games.

Clubs agreed that prohibiting away fans would reduce people travelling across the country, minimising the threat of the virus' spread.

Health Minister Jens Spahn also explained his reasoning for rejecting the DFL's proposal, highlighting that having a crowd inside a stadium is not the currently the right route to take until at least October.

 Bayern would realistically only see 8,000 supporters walk through the doors at the Allianz

Spahn tweeted: 'Thousands of spectators in the stadiums – that doesn't fit with the current infection rate. Now is the time to not take any avoidable risks. The DFL concept is good in theory.

'We feel that we need to stay vigilant. In the current situation, spectators in the stands would be the wrong signal.'

In a slightly more progressive step, it was announced that 1,250 spectators will be allowed to watch Dortmund's friendly with Altach in a test event in Austria on Wednesday.

Those in attendance at Stadion Schnabelholz, which has a capacity of 8,000, will be required to wear a mask while social distancing will be adhered to.

Additional reporting by Kit Holden.