Thursday, December 02, 2021
Bundesliga is evaporated
No ghost game day, but far fewer fans
50,000 people in the packed Cologne stadium caused long unseen pictures, outrage and discussions on the last Bundesliga matchday. That is over for the time being: The Prime Ministers of the federal states and Chancellor Merkel decide on audience limits.
Due to the threatening corona situation, only a maximum of 15,000 spectators are initially allowed to play football games. The federal government and state leaders agreed that a maximum of 50 percent of the capacity may be used in the stadiums. In sports halls there can be a maximum of 5000 spectators. There is a mask requirement and the 2G rule, according to which only vaccinated and convalescent are admitted. It is possible that a current corona test must also be proven. There should be ghost games or even cancellations in federal states with particularly high infection rates, it said.
According to Prime Minister Markus Söder, the Bavarian cabinet wants to adopt the announced further tightening of measures this Friday. Football games in Bavaria will only take place as ghost games this weekend, as Söder said after the federal-state consultations in Munich on Thursday – this was his suggestion. This should then initially apply until the end of the year. Söder justified his strict stance on Twitter with precisely this point: “The high mobility when traveling to and from the city is currently irresponsible. Football has a great role model function. We now have to reduce contacts everywhere. ”
In addition to FC Bayern, FC Augsburg, Greuther Fürth, the second division clubs 1. FC Nürnberg, FC Ingolstadt and Jahn Regensburg as well as the third division clubs TSV 1860 Munich, Türkgücü Munich and the Würzburger Kickers would be affected. On December 8th, FC Bayern will host FC Barcelona in the Champions League, three days later 1. FSV Mainz 05 will take part in the Bundesliga duel. According to the current rules, just under 20,000 spectators have been allowed to flock to the games.
Saxony is already playing without a spectator. “The fact is that you get tired, not just us in football, but also every other citizen in the country, with constantly new restrictions and hopes that are made to you. Then the next lockdown threatens again,” said managing director Oliver Mintzlaff at DAZN: “Of course it is a big disadvantage in sporting and economic terms that we have compared to the Bundesliga clubs who play in full or half-full stadiums.”