According to lawyers, the examination of legal steps against the current admission restrictions for spectators in North Rhine-Westphalia announced by Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke could be successful.
“I believe that a lawsuit has a good chance of success,” said Gelsenkirchen lawyer Arndt Kempgens to the newspapers of the “Funke Mediengruppe”.
The lawyer explained that it was about restrictions on fundamental rights. The mildest means must be chosen. “The current status quo is an absolute disaster for the league and clubs,” said the 53-year-old about the different admission requirements for sport and culture. That was “water for the mill” of the critics.
Support from NRW
Watzke had also received support from other clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia for his initiative. “We are examining a legal clarification and will also enter into an exchange with the Bundesliga clubs in NRW,” said Alexander Wehrle, managing director of 1. FC Köln, in the “Kölnische Rundschau.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, only 750 spectators are currently allowed in football stadiums, in Bavaria 10,000 visitors are now allowed in the arenas again, in Baden-Württemberg up to 6000. “The Allianz Arena is no safer than the Signal Iduna Park,” said the Dortmund sports lawyer Markus Buchberger, who said about the chances of a lawsuit: “It’s worth a try.”
Düsseldorf lawyer Matthias Lang also questions the number 750. “Where does she come from?” There is no scientific evidence that this upper limit brings anything. His colleague Kempgens also said that it was difficult for the authorities to prove that the rate of infection increased with higher stadium occupancy. Wehrle, who spoke of “symbolic politics”, became clearer. “Nobody can still understand the measures,” said the FC official.