The criticism in professional sport of the decision by the federal and state governments to stick to the corona measures and the spectator restrictions is loud – especially in football. Some Bundesliga clubs are considering legal action. A small sign comes from Bavaria.
In the midst of professional sport’s criticism of the corona measures taken by politicians, Bavaria dared to make a move by relaxing restrictions. The cabinet of CSU Prime Minister Markus Söder decided to end the ghost games in the Free State for national sporting events until further notice. Now up to 10,000 fans are allowed to come to the games of the German soccer champions Bayern Munich, FC Augsburg and SpVgg Greuther Fürth or to the games of the second division clubs. Apart from this absolute upper limit, a maximum of 25 percent of the audience capacity may be used. The regulation, which comes into force on Thursday, also applies to professional leagues in handball, basketball, ice hockey and volleyball.
A day earlier, on Monday, the federal government and the prime ministers had decided to continue their corona course because of the rapidly increasing number of infections caused by the Omicron variant. That meant nothing other than that games in the professional leagues – depending on the state – may only take place without or with a few spectators. At least the different requirements in the federal states should be standardized nationwide by February 9th. “It’s not entirely fair that we have 2,000 people in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and that doesn’t work anywhere else. That we have 15,000 people in some football stadiums, we have ghost games, so if so, it has to be reasonable,” said CSU -Boss Söder already said on Monday evening in the “Daily Topics” of the ARD.
Different maximum limits apply in the states for the admission of spectators: As was previously the case in Bavaria, no fans are currently allowed in the arenas in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia. In contrast, third-division leaders 1. FC Magdeburg played against TSV Havelse on Sunday in front of 13,385 spectators. This was allowed by the regulation in Saxony-Anhalt, according to which the stadiums can be filled up to 50 percent. When FC Bayern won at Hertha BSC on Sunday, 3,000 spectators were allowed into the Berlin Olympic Stadium. “I haven’t understood it for a long time. Example: 13,700 were allowed in Magdeburg. Theoretically, 13,700 Eintracht fans who are not allowed in the stadium could have taken the train to Magdeburg to fill the stadium there. That says it all,” Eintracht Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner said in a Sky interview.
“Side by side with BVB”
Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke went one step further and did not rule out legal action against the spectator regulation in North Rhine-Westphalia. “We will take a close look at the country’s decisions and check whether we can have them checked in an urgent procedure,” he said. Watzke’s colleague Alexander Wehrle from 1. FC Köln would welcome legal action: “We stand side by side with BVB.” It is incomprehensible that in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg there are 2,000 of the 2,100 possible spectators in a closed room “and a few kilometers further in the Hamburg stadium there are also 2,000, because that’s the limit,” commented Wehrle. “Who set the 2000 in Hamburg? And who set the 750 in Cologne? And who set the 1000 in Mainz? Do they actually roll the dice?”
RB Leipzig’s CEO Oliver Mintzlaff also ruled out legal action. “I think Aki Watzke’s move is absolutely right, and we’ll also check with other Bundesliga clubs if we don’t find a quick solution here, whether and how we can take legal action,” he told the “Bild” newspaper. The federal government “cannot paint the world as it pleases it. That ends in a zigzag course that people can no longer support.”
Many representatives in professional sports express the assumption that politicians are using sport in their corona measures. You want to show a certain toughness towards the sport, which is not justified at all, said the manager of the German volleyball champion Berlin Volleys, Kaweh Niroomand. “In our hall, the spectators are boosted and safer with a mask than when I go shopping or to the pharmacy,” he said. “Football is falling victim to symbolic politics,” commented BVB boss Watzke. Leipzig’s Mintzlaff added: “We have the feeling that in many areas politicians think more about problems than about solutions.”
