Withdrawal of the European Football Championship threatens: Munich can not give a spectator guarantee


Withdrawal from the European Football Championship threatens
Munich can not give a spectator guarantee

Time is short: by the beginning of next week, UEFA is demanding a clear announcement from the host city of the European Football Championship whether the games can take place in front of spectators despite the pandemic. But such a forecast for the beginning of June is currently not possible in Munich.

Two months before the start of the European Football Championship, Munich can still not guarantee games with spectators and thus risks becoming the host city. After a meeting with DFB Vice President Rainer Koch, Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter announced that he would like fans in the Allianz Arena. In the current pandemic, however, it cannot be ruled out that this wish will remain unfulfilled in June.

The continental association UEFA demands from the twelve host cities for the pan-European tournament (11 June to 11 July) that the stadiums have to be at least partially filled. Cities in which ghost games threaten could still be deleted as an EM location. From today’s point of view, it can unfortunately not be ruled out that, due to the infection process and the corresponding requirements of the Bavarian Infection Protection Regulation, no spectators can be admitted to the game dates in June, “said Reiter, according to a message from the city.

Last week, UEFA asked the hosts Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin to provide additional information for the staging of the games by April 19 – next Monday. The UEFA Executive Committee then makes a final decision on the number of hosts. Eight cities have already promised to host the games in front of at least some spectators.

Best scenario: Half of the stadium is occupied

DFB deputy boss Koch again presented the UEFA request in Munich. He also emphasized that health protection and the general corona situation should be taken into account. “Against this background, I would be delighted if the city of Munich also sees UEFA’s stance as a desirable objective,” said Koch.

Philipp Lahm, the German head of organization, had already said in a radio interview on Sunday that there are scenarios in Munich from no viewers to a load of 50 percent. “We all want nothing more than that the number of infections will drop and that we can normalize more and more areas of public life,” Reiter now emphasized and added: “I hope that we can unite as UEFA strives to include additional hygiene measures and test strategies release a certain percentage of the seats in the Allianz Arena for spectators. ”

But hope is not a guarantee. Reiter promised that the city would “make every effort and continuously examine the various options in the coming weeks”. “To this end, we are in constant contact with all of our partners, especially through the DFB.” Whether that is enough is open.

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