Monday, April 19, 2021
Three scenarios for 70,000 seats
Munich publishes plan for EM with fans
UEFA absolutely wants to prevent ghost games at the European Football Championship in the summer. This is probably one of the reasons why the association is postponing the decision on whether or not Munich will remain the venue. Meanwhile, the Bavarian capital publishes what is even conceivable.
The city of Munich took note of the postponement of the EM decision with regret, but at the same time disclosed the current plans. Accordingly, the EM makers have developed three different scenarios with a utilization of zero to 40 percent. The first scenario envisages almost 14,500 spectators. In the Allianz Arena, which has 70,000 seats, every fourth seat in a row of stadiums would then be occupied.
Scenario two envisages an occupancy rate of 40 percent with almost 27,000 spectators. The prerequisite for the implementation of this would be a “very positive development of the pandemic”. This plan is becoming “more unlikely every day,” said the city’s statement. Scenario three looks at the worst case and expects zero to 7000 viewers. This could still be implemented in the short term even if the pandemic developed negatively immediately before the EM.
Which of the scenarios is ultimately used depends on the Bavarian Infection Protection Ordinance valid at the time of the EM (June 11th to July 11th). The European Football Union is likely to continue to disrupt scenario three, as this also includes ghost games. The association actually demands a spectator guarantee from the organizers. The decision on the Munich location, which was actually planned for Monday, had been postponed to Friday at short notice.
“I very much regret that no decision was made today in favor of Munich as the venue,” said Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter. But he still hopes and believes “a positive decision” for the Bavarian capital. The German Football Association announced that it would hold talks with all parties involved in the coming days “how the implementation of our plans can succeed under the given conditions and despite the unchanged challenging pandemic development”.
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