Monday, August 9th, 2021
“Landlord” with a clear demeanor
BVB wants vaccinated and recovered people in the stadium
Before the start of the 59th Bundesliga season, Borussia Dortmund is expected to be in the red due to the ongoing restrictions caused by the corona pandemic. BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke classifies the loss as “high but manageable” – and has urgent requests to politicians and fans.
Borussia Dortmund closed the 2020/2021 financial year with a loss of almost 73 million euros. This was announced by the soccer federal list in Dortmund, which is listed in the S-Dax. Due to the fact that there was no sale of tickets in the Bundesliga and the Champions League alone, the club was missing more than 30 million euros in the past season. Around 16 million euros were lost for catering in the stadium. In the previous season, the loss was 44 million euros. In the financial year that ended at the end of June, sales fell from around 487 to around 358 million euros.
With the cup victory and reaching the quarter-finals in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund was able to keep the effects of the corona pandemic on the financial year within limits. Hans-Joachim Watzke, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA, spoke of a high but manageable loss. As with all Bundesliga clubs, spectators in the Corona crisis were only reduced in the current season and only allowed until October, corresponding income was lost. The usual number of spectators in the Dortmund stadium is 81,000 guests per game. For the first Bundesliga game against Frankfurt (Saturday, 6.30 p.m.), the club is planning with almost 25,000 fans.
“If you want to go to the stadium …”
Watzke appealed to politicians to make “courageous decisions” in the Corona crisis that offer medium-term prospects. The company’s aim is to return to the black. “We can’t solve everything by locking the store,” said Watzke – and also addressed the fans directly: “If you want to go back to the stadium, please get vaccinated.”
There will be no ghost games at the start of the 59th Bundesliga season that starts next Friday, but there will be a heated basic discussion: will only those who have been vaccinated and recovered soon be allowed to enter the arenas? Or will access also continue to be given to trailers who have tested negatively? The debate is triggered by an innovation at 1. FC Köln, which will only allow vaccinated or recovered spectators into its stadium from the end of August.
Borussia Dortmund has 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.”
Health Minister Jens Spahn had told “Münchner Merkur” in an interview that “essential things such as public transport or visiting the town hall or hospital” must still only be accessible with a mask or test. But for “areas that do not belong to the basic care”, he could also imagine access only for vaccinated or convalescent people. “Or limited access – for example, that 30,000 people who have been vaccinated and 2,000 people who have been tested are allowed to attend a soccer game in the Bayern stadium,” added Spahn.
.