“Total nonsense and nonsense”: Seeler rages against the impending stadium ban


“Total nonsense and nonsense”
Seeler rages against the impending stadium ban

In Hamburg, at the start of the 2nd Bundesliga, only spectators who can prove their primary residence in the Hanseatic city are allowed into the stadium. HSV legend Seeler lives a few kilometers outside the city, but is certain: Some fans in the Hamburg area have a longer journey.

Football idol Uwe Seeler is upset about a possible “stadium ban” at Hamburger SV. For the second division game on August 1 (1.30 p.m.) against newly promoted Dynamo Dresden, only spectators who have their primary residence in Hamburg are allowed to enter the Volksparkstadion due to the corona requirements. Club icon Seeler has lived in Norderstedt in Schleswig-Holstein for decades.

“This is total nonsense and nonsense,” the 84-year-old raves in the “Bild” newspaper. “I would very much like to go to the stadium. I have been vaccinated and will keep my distance. This is a very strange decision.”

The authorities approved 17,100 fans for the first home game of the season, which corresponds to 30 percent of the seat capacity. However, like thousands of followers from the surrounding area, Seeler is not allowed in. For the club icon incomprehensible: “I live only a few kilometers from the stadium. I think that some fans in the Hamburg area have a longer journey,” says the HSV legend. “The authorities should reconsider this decision.”

The HSV is also examining a contradiction. The club “cannot and does not want to accept” the requirements, says CFO Frank Wettstein. “Our city limits are less than four kilometers from the Volksparkstadion and our supporters come to a large extent from the neighboring federal states. We also see no additional benefit in terms of fighting pandemics due to the need to follow up contacts with personalized tickets and many other protective measures.”

The responsible authorities and the clubs had agreed that HSV and city rivals FC St. Pauli could play their home games with a stadium load of 30 percent at the start of the season.

.