Germany's top flight, like the majority of European leagues, is suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The top two tiers in Germany are suspended until at least April 30, with mass gatherings having been prohibited by the government until the end of August.
However, this month German Football Federation (DFL) chief executive Christian Seifert said discussions were in place over a return to action in early May with matches behind closed doors.
Seifert confirmed the DFL's plans to continue with the season and that the start date will be May 9 so long as the plan gets government backing.
But senior union official Jorg Radek believes doing so would pose a risk to public health.
"Maybe it is possible to control what is happening in the stadium. This does not apply to the public space in front of it. The stadiums become a potential target for fans who want to support their team," Radek said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
"That would be devastating. We can't have large crowds outside the stadium gates. It's not only forbidden, it would be irresponsible.
"It becomes relevant to the police at that moment, we then have to ensure that the requirements that currently apply to behaviour in public space are complied with - the requirement of a distance of one and a half metres, the ban on the assembly of large groups, the wearing of masks.
"We will have to intervene in terms of maintaining security and order if this is not guaranteed.
"I want to state that we as a police union are not fundamentally against football games.
"I can also understand that there is a need for many people to stop watching old international matches or old Bundesliga games, but we must not forget what special situation we are all in - this includes the police.
"Games behind closed doors are a danger, even if the organiser does everything in the stadium to ensure that hygiene regulations are observed in order to keep the risk of infection as low as possible."
He said the DFL plans do not appear to cover such aspects and spoke of the prospect of an "additional burden" on police.
"Running the league on the weekends is a huge burden for us even without a corona pandemic," said Radek. "By pausing, we gained a personnel reserve that we could fall back on to increase our presence elsewhere."
Germany's top flight, like the majority of European leagues, is suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The top two tiers in Germany are suspended until at least April 30, with mass gatherings having been prohibited by the government until the end of August.
However, this month German Football Federation (DFL) chief executive Christian Seifert said discussions were in place over a return to action in early May with matches behind closed doors.
Seifert confirmed the DFL's plans to continue with the season and that the start date will by May 9 so long as the plan gets government backing.
But senior union official Jorg Radek believes doing so would pose a risk to public health.
"Maybe it is possible to control what is happening in the stadium. This does not apply to the public space in front of it. The stadiums become a potential target for fans who want to support their team," Radek said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
"That would be devastating. We can't have large crowds outside the stadium gates. It's not only forbidden, it would be irresponsible.
"It becomes relevant to the police at that moment, we then have to ensure that the requirements that currently apply to behaviour in public space are complied with - the requirement of a distance of one and a half metres, the ban on the assembly of large groups, the wearing of masks.
"We will have to intervene in terms of maintaining security and order if this is not guaranteed.
"I want to state that we as a police union are not fundamentally against football games.
"I can also understand that there is a need for many people to stop watching old international matches or old Bundesliga games, but we must not forget what special situation we are all in - this includes the police.
"Games behind closed doors are a danger, even if the organiser does everything in the stadium to ensure that hygiene regulations are observed in order to keep the risk of infection as low as possible."
He said the DFL plans do not appear to cover such aspects and spoke of the prospect of an "additional burden" on police.
"Running the league on the weekends is a huge burden for us even without a corona pandemic," said Radek. "By pausing, we gained a personnel reserve that we could fall back on to increase our presence elsewhere."
Germany's top two tiers are suspended until April 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic, while mass gatherings have been prohibited by the government until the end of August.
DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said this month the organisation was working towards a return to action in early May with games played behind closed doors.
Following a virtual meeting between the 36 clubs on Thursday, the DFL confirmed its plans to continue with the season.
Seifert said: "The Bundesliga is ready to resume, whether on May 9 or a later date. But it's not up to us to find a date, the political decision-makers decide.
"We have not defined an exact date today. The fact that we are even able to think about resuming games underlines the performance of the German authorities. It would be presumptuous for the DFL to name an exact date for the restart.
"If the signal comes in the next week that it can be May 9, then it will be May 9. It's not up to us whether we can play at all. It is only up to us to create the framework conditions.
"The season should be finished by June 30. If we need to play in July too, we will. We are currently not thinking about next season. First of all, it is the matter of ending the current season."
Guidelines for the staging of matches include strict hygiene requirements, close testing and permanent monitoring of those at the games. The DFL will also provide €500,000 to public health authorities to help with coronavirus testing.
Access to Bundesliga stadiums will be limited to 213 people on matchdays and Seifert urged fans not to gather outside arenas.
"When we start playing again, gatherings outside the stadium must be avoided," said Seifert.
"Otherwise the fans will need to accept the fact that the matches will not take place. If this happens during the match, it will be cancelled.
"The situation might even require us to talk about games without fans next year. Therefore, the clubs should plan without income from spectators for the time being."
It was also announced by the DFL that €7.5million from the solidarity fund set up by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen will be shared equally between the 3. Liga and women's Bundesliga.
In Germany there have been over 151,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 5,354 recorded deaths.
The Germany striker found the net six times throughout the tournament as Die Nationalelf finished as runners-up to Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses, finishing as joint-top scorer with England's Beth Mead, though Mead won the award after recording more assists.
Popp, who has been with Wolfsburg since 2012, has lifted 18 domestic and three European titles during her career, but missed Germany's 2-1 Wembley final defeat last month after getting injured in the warm-up.
She became the first player to score in five consecutive games at a Women's Euros by helping herself to a brace in Germany's semi-final win over France, later being named in the team of the tournament.
Popp, who had just one year to run on her previous deal, told the club's website: "I'm very pleased to be held in such high esteem and I'm extremely happy at VfL Wolfsburg.
"When I look back on the last few years, it's clear I'm at the best club in Germany. I can also see the outstanding quality in our team. It's great fun for me to perform with these girls on and off the pitch and to fight for more silverware."
Wolfsburg finished four points clear of Bayern Munich to win the domestic title last season, and were beaten by eventual champions Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League.
