Players of German Bundesliga football club FC Schalke 04 take part in a training session at the club's training ground in Gelsenkirtchen on April 7, 2020. (INA FASSBENDER / AFP)

BERLIN - The Bundesliga home challenge might not be a satisfying replacement after the coronavirus has forced all league action to be suspended. But the new virtual e-sports competition, at the least, is providing some entertainment for suffering football fans.

The competition's motto is "stay home and play."

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The majority of fans say they are missing regular live football and are supporting efforts by the clubs to restart the league season as soon as possible, if only behind doors

The majority of fans say they are missing regular live football and are supporting efforts by the clubs to restart the league season as soon as possible, if only behind doors. Until "ghost games" as they say in Germany can take place, fans are welcoming any football-related action.

Tens of thousands of supporters are therefore following the home challenge until Bundesliga football gets back underway. The target is for games to start again by about mid-May. The league association is in talks with health authorities to run games with a minimum of involved people and testing of players ahead of kick-off.

Reports indicate a big effort is being undertaken to reorganize games in front of empty stands and finish the 2019/20 season.

Until then, 26 of the nation's 36 first and second division clubs are going head to head on the console. A group of Bundesliga referees have joined the virtual competition for two-man teams which fans can follow live.

The Bundesliga referees Deniz Aytekin and Daniel Schlager have joined the challenge and face players they usually meet in the country's arenas.

"Your much-loved football players are playing again - only this time they have swapped the grass for their sofas," a league association announcement said.

The campaign is played in the so-called "85 mode" whereby the teams are evenly matched and therefore have the same chances. One game lasts about 25 minutes with the members of each team having to do a game.

Each team is made up of at least one Bundesliga or second division pro and he is joined by somebody connected with the club.

The "Bundesliga Home Challenge" does not enter any official sporting classification. The Virtual Bundesliga (VBL), the eFOOTBALL competition organized by the DFL since 2012, is now pausing due to the spread of the coronavirus.

The duels for every matchday are drawn from a hat.

The Bundesliga's Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, Union Berlin, 1. FC Cologne, FSV Mainz 05, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Augsburg, Hertha BSC, SC Freiburg, RB Leipzig, SC Paderborn, Werder Bremen, VfL Wolfsburg and TSG Hoffenheim are all taking part as the second division's Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart do.

READ MORE: Cologne stun Schalke 3-0 in Bundesliga

FIFA-referee Aytekin took private lessons from his 12-year-old son to prepare for the challenge. The 41-year-old won his first duel against Moenchengladbach midfielder Jonas Hofmann 2-1 but was thrashed by the second tier's Felix Platte (Darmstadt 98) 5-0 on matchday two. The official's team lost 10-1 to Darmstadt team and 5-2 to Moenchengladbach.

E-sports newcomer Aytekin's win caught the attention. "I thought about taking off my shirt and celebrating the win on my balcony, but in the end, I thought it might be a bit embarrassing," Aytekin said with a twinkle in his eye.