Thursday, December 02, 2021
Update
FC Bayern without spectators
Much trouble about too few ghost games
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.
In the football stadiums, it will be significantly emptier again for the time being due to the threatening corona situation. A maximum of 15,000 spectators are allowed in the arenas of the Bundesliga on the coming match days. The federal government and state leaders agreed that a maximum of 50 percent of the capacity may be used. In sports halls there can be a maximum of 5000 spectators. In regions with very high numbers of infections, large events are even to be canceled or at least ghost games are to be implemented in sports.
This decision does not go far enough for all country leaders. Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer criticized the fact that the entire Bundesliga does not initially take place without fans in the stadiums. “The sport is a role model,” said Kretschmer after the deliberations. In Saxony there will be ghost games, announced the CDU politician.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder was also disappointed. After the Corona summit, there was a downer in bitterness for him, said the CSU chairman. This is that there was no final agreement on ghost games in football. “We are sticking with it, we think ghost games make sense, we will also implement that in the Bavarian cabinet,” said Söder. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller even went a step further: He asked the Bundesliga clubs to voluntarily consider giving up spectators.
The decision made by the federal and state governments stipulates that where viewers are allowed, a mask requirement and the 2G rule apply. This means that only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered can get admission. It is possible that a current corona test must also be proven. SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz said, with a view to the football stadiums that were still full until the end: “It is good that they said that it cannot stay as it is now and that they have made a very drastic decision.” There will also be more far-reaching restrictions in individual countries.
“Extreme Challenges”
The German Football League reacted with understanding. “The DFL is aware of the currently difficult corona situation, especially with a view to the strain on some regional health systems. In this situation, a differentiated, comprehensible, but above all effective policy strategy is required. A temporary restriction on approval from fans to the stadiums is therefore basically understandable, “said DFL boss Christian Seifert.
The 52-year-old, who is leaving office at the end of the year, also expressed criticism of the many people who refused to be vaccinated in Germany, which he made responsible for the tough cut again. “It is regrettable that, due to the pandemic situation and the still too low vaccination rate in Germany, restrictions in many areas of life are necessary again,” said Seifert. The DFL hope “that this decision by the federal and state governments will lay the foundation for a rapid improvement in the pandemic situation”.
The Bundesliga summit between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern on Saturday is also likely to be affected by the decision by the federal and state governments. BVB had already canceled all tickets for the game in advance. Managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke urged politicians to make decisions with moderation. Football is not a driver of the infection process, assured Watzke. Many other league representatives had also spoken out in advance for an interim solution to the viewer question. “Games without spectators would present us with extreme challenges,” warned CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger from VfB Stuttgart.
The German Football League had asserted that it was “aware of the currently difficult corona situation, particularly with regard to the burden on the health system”. The admission of 50,000 spectators to the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday caused heated debates. These images moved many citizens in the face of a “very dramatic situation in the intensive care units,” said Scholz.