Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Differentiation among the tested
Are uniform stadium access rules coming?
There will be no ghost games at the start of the 59th Bundesliga season, but there will be a heated discussion of principles: Will only those who have been vaccinated and recovered soon be allowed into the arenas – or also fans who have tested negative? BVB and 1. FC Köln have different views than sports policy.
In the debate about the access regulations for soccer stadiums in the corona pandemic, shortly before the Bundesliga start on Friday, sports politicians from the coalition and the opposition spoke out in favor of a nationwide uniform application of the so-called 3G group. The CDU expert Eberhard Gienger and the FDP sports committee chairwoman Barbara Dassler cited constitutional aspects and scientific findings in the “Augsburger Allgemeine” for their demand for entry permits for fans who had been vaccinated, recovered and tested negative.
For the former high bar world champion Gienger, “a distinction between vaccinated, recovered or negatively tested viewers is problematic for constitutional reasons”. According to the outgoing sports policy spokesman for the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, “vaccinated, recovered or negatively tested spectators must be treated equally when entering the stadium”.
BVB and Cologne see it differently
Dassler, on the other hand, rejects – like Gienger, subject to the house rules of the clubs and the requirements of the individual federal states – a 2G solution and referred to the recognized lower risk of infection outside of closed rooms to substantiate their position: “In the stadium area, we are talking about the outside area A reduction in access to vaccinated and convalescent people can hardly be justified. The risk of infection in the outdoor area and by far is very low anyway. Therefore, access for vaccinated, convalescent and tested people should be possible in principle. “
In the past few days, a discussion about restricting stadium access only to fully vaccinated and demonstrably recovered visitors had flared up. First division club 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga club to announce a special path: The Rhinelander want to make their season premiere on Sunday (5.30 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de.) against Hertha BSC only release 1000 of a total of 16,500 seats for viewers with a negative test instead of proof of vaccination or recovery. According to media reports, a negative test result alone will no longer be sufficient for access to the arena in Cologne from the second league home game.
Hans-Joachim Watzke, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund, also addressed the fans directly on Monday: “If you want to go back to the stadium, please get vaccinated.” At BVB they have a clear stance: “We clearly favor 2G. If you know in the stadium that 90 or 95 percent of the spectators have been vaccinated, you have a greater sense of security,” said Watzke. “If everyone had the opportunity to vaccinate, we can make it clear as the owner of the house that we consider it useful.”
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