September 4 – Germany’s professional clubs want to welcome back a limited number of fans in the new Bundesliga season, but league boss Christian Seifert has admitted that it will be “a demanding and difficult season.”
“All the clubs have prepared documents and are in talks with the (health) authorities,” said chief executive of the German Football League (DFL) Seifert.
The new Bundesliga season kicks off on September 18 and the league’s clubs, alongside with the second-tier teams, are keen on receiving a small number of fans again at their stadiums, but Seifert acknowledged that the number of coronavirus infections in every state will dictate what football clubs can and cannot do in what he anticipates to be “a demanding and difficult season”.
Earlier this week, RB Leipzig were given the green light to host up to 8,500 fans for their season-opener against Mainz. The number corresponds to 20% of Leipzig’s stadium capacity. European champions Bayern Munich are also looking at plans to allow fans to attend their game against Schalke 04.
However, the clubs’ plans is receiving plenty of scrutiny in Germany. In August, authorities had rejected similar plans by the DFL. “The questions as to whether supporters in Bundesliga stadiums sends the wrong signs are absolutely justified,” admitted Seifert, but he also pointed out that it could be a “sign that thousands of people want to, and can adhere to, rules of conduct” by following hygiene measures.
The German top flight was the first major European league to resume action after the game’s coronavirus shutdown with a derby between Dortmund and Schalke 04. The Bundesliga crossed into unknown territory, but delivered a fault-free series of matches in a bio-secure environment to crown Bayern Munich champions yet again.
The sequel, the 2020/21 season, will be as complicated. Last week, German authorities announced an extension on the ban of major public gatherings and imposed a national fine on individuals not wearing masks to curb the coronavirus spread.
The German FA (DFB) has already approved the return of a limited number of fans for the first round of German Cup matches in the second week of September, subject to the go-ahead by local health authorities.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714143029labto1714143029ofdlr1714143029owedi1714143029sni@o1714143029fni1714143029