Berlin, Dec. 2 (BNA): Bundesliga clubs will be allowed to host no more than 15,000 fans at matches after coronavirus restrictions were agreed between regional heads of state and the German federal government on Thursday.
For outdoor events, 30-50 percent of the stadium’s capacity can be used, with a maximum of 15,000, with a ceiling given for indoor sports of 5,000, according to a German news agency (dpa) report.
Face masks will be mandatory and “2G” rules will apply, meaning that only people who have been vaccinated or recovered from the coronavirus can attend the events. It is also possible to add a negative coronavirus test along with the 2G requirement.
The German Football Association (DFL) said it understood the reason for the new restrictions.
“The German Football Association is aware of the current, unfortunately once again, difficult situation of the coronavirus, especially with regard to the burden on some regional health systems,” German Football League president Christian Seifert said on Thursday.
“Therefore, the imposition of temporary restrictions on the entry of fans to stadiums is understandable,” he added.
“It is unfortunate that due to the epidemiological situation and the still very low vaccination rate in Germany, restrictions in many areas of life are once again necessary,” Seifert said.
The Bundesliga clubs were preparing this week for the news with Hendrik West, prime minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, warning of a “significant drop” in capacities ahead of the meeting.
Borussia Dortmund, in the state of West, hosts Bayern Munich in a match that tops the German Bundesliga on Saturday. West said earlier that he sees little benefit in closing stadiums to fans quite as it did earlier in the coronavirus pandemic.
However, closed-door games, or even the postponement of matches, will be possible in areas with particularly high infection rates according to the rules agreed on Thursday.
Dortmund canceled tickets sold for the match on Wednesday, a move many other clubs copied ahead of the weekend’s matches.
Meanwhile, SPD health expert and politician Karl Lauterbach said in his opinion that “no match should have more than 5,000 spectators”, after 50,000 spectators attended the Rhine derby last week between Cologne and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
In Cologne on Wednesday, injuries rose dramatically and Lauterbach said it was “certainly not just the match. But it played a role. The match should not have been allowed in this way.”
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