The aim of the three clubs is to be able to play the league games again next weekend with a larger number of spectators in the stadium. The Lower Saxony state government had announced that it would only allow 500 spectators. The representatives from Braunschweig, Meppen and Osnabrück consider this upper limit for sports or concert events, which only applies in Lower Saxony, to be “disproportionate and therefore illegal”, according to a joint statement.
Clubs sharply criticize the state government
They accuse the state government of going it alone. It is a “nationwide unique process not to follow the nationwide recommendation of the state conference of February 2, 2022, to allow up to 50 percent of the maximum capacity or a maximum of 10,000 spectators in the football stadiums for major national events outdoors,” says the statement of the three clubs.
Prime Minister Weil does not want to implement the decision
The heads of the state and senate chanceries had decided last week that stadiums and halls across Germany could again be filled with more spectators. However, this decision must also be included in the Corona regulations in every federal state, which Lower Saxony is still rejecting, at least for the time being. Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) justifies this with high corona numbers in the country.
TSV Havelse does not participate
The fourth third division club in Lower Saxony, TSV Havelse, had previously stated in a press release that it did not want to go to court with the other clubs after all. “Basically, it’s right to do something. But we’ve come to the conclusion that we don’t see any major advantages or disadvantages for us given the small number of viewers,” said managing director Harry Wiessner.