Thursday, December 02, 2021
Corona restrictions in the stadium
How Europe’s sport reacts to the fourth wave
The second corona winter not only hits Germany hard, but it drives up the numbers across Europe. While the federal-state summit is planning massive restrictions on sport, gaming continues as normal in other states. But not in all of them. An overview.
Still full stadiums in the English Premier League, zero spectators in the Netherlands and Austria: According to the current incidence figures in the corona pandemic, there are huge differences in European football leagues in dealing with spectator restrictions. The situation in European countries:
England
Here you can continue to play in front of full spectators. According to the rules of the Premier League, stadium visitors must prove a vaccination or convalescence status or submit a corona test that is not older than 48 hours. The decision as to who is allowed into the stadium and who is not ultimately rests with the clubs themselves. The full number of tickets may also be sold for the Darts World Cup in London, which will start in December. After the 2020 tournament had to take place without an audience, up to 3000 spectators can celebrate in Alexandra Palace. It seems unlikely that fans would worry about masks or the safety distance when consuming a lot of beer.
Italy
According to the FIGC football association, the stadiums have so far been allowed to be 75 percent full. On December 6th, however, further regulations will come into force that Mario Draghi’s government had already decided at the end of November. From then on, the 2G rule will apply to fans, only those who can be proven to have been vaccinated or have recovered are allowed in. With regard to compulsory vaccination for football professionals, there have been no further advances so far. This is “a very sensitive issue,” said a FIGC spokesman. Association president Gabriele Gravina had previously brought a compulsory vaccination into play. After a meeting of the association’s board, he said that this option was possible in the fight against Corona. Around four to five percent of professionals still have no valid vaccination certificate – also because they had received a vaccine that is not recognized in the EU.
Spain
Despite rising corona numbers, there are no specific restrictions for sporting events. Ghost games in football are not planned. The seven-day incidence is currently just under 120. However, the Corona Pass (3G rule) is becoming mandatory for visiting restaurants, nightspots and larger indoor events in more and more regions of the country. This should also affect indoor sports. 7 out of 17 communities, which roughly correspond to German federal states, have already decided to do so, only three have ruled out such a measure for the time being. In view of a vaccination rate of almost 80 percent, an obligation to present a corona passport should not have any dramatic consequences.
France
Ligue 1 is concerned about the increasing number of infections. Since Friday there has been a mask requirement again in the stadiums, but there is still no discussion about reduced audience numbers. As the government recently stated, the population should be protected from the spread of the virus, but training and competition in sports should be maintained. A mask requirement also applies to athletes in the arenas as soon as they do not participate in the sport.
Switzerland
The 3G rule applies to major sporting events. However, the government has proposed a tightening that could come into force next week: then masks would have to be worn indoors such as ice hockey rinks. The 3G rule applies to more than 1,000 spectators in football stadiums. This limit is to be lowered to 300. This decision should be made on Friday.
Czech Republic
Since the declaration of the Corona emergency on November 26th, only a maximum of 1000 spectators and participants are allowed to be in sports stadiums. The 2G rule applies. A test is only enough for professionals. There is a limit of 100 people in the stadium for amateur competitions. Despite the financial losses, the professional associations have decided to continue both the football and ice hockey seasons. There was also criticism of the government’s decision. Vikoria-Pilsen coach Pavel Vrba said the restrictions on vaccinated people seemed “illogical” to him.
Netherlands
After a partial lockdown was imposed, the last football game for the time being took place in front of spectators on November 14th. Since then, competitions have generally only been allowed to take place without an audience. This applies to both amateur and professional sports. Since the tightening of the measures, which came into force on Sunday, all sports facilities have to remain closed between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. – with the exception of training and competitions in professional sports. The Dutch football association KNVB appealed to the government to allow exceptions also in the area of amateurs. Around 1.2 million amateurs would otherwise have hardly any training opportunities during the week.
Poland
Since June, 50 percent of the seats on the stands in the stadiums have been allocated. Vaccinated persons are not counted towards this upper limit. However, since there is no legal basis in Poland that organizers can force visitors to show a vaccination certificate, this regulation is more of a theory. New limits have been in effect for smaller sporting events since December 1st. A maximum of 250 people may come together for competitions and sporting events that take place outside stadiums or other facilities.
Austria
The ghost games have been back in the Bundesliga since the lockdown began on November 22nd. Other top-class sport events, such as tennis, only take place without a spectator. All sports halls are closed. There are exceptions for top athletes and disabled sports. Outdoor sports are possible, although exercise may only take place with people from your own household as well as with your partner and close relatives. The measures are initially limited to December 12th. However, it is considered likely that it will remain with the ghost games afterwards.
Denmark
Football matches in front of a sold-out house – this is still possible in Denmark despite the similarly high incidence as that in Germany. At outdoor events with over 1000 spectators, as well as in many other situations, the Danes rely on showing the Corona passport: With this, you can prove on your smartphone when you enter that you have been vaccinated, recovered or tested negative. You don’t have to wear mouth and nose protection in the stands: a mask requirement was only reintroduced on Monday for public transport and when shopping. However, there is now a winter break in the Danish Super League. It won’t continue until mid-February – and by then the corona situation may look completely different again.