For the time being, there will be no increased return of spectators to games in the Bundesliga and other German professional leagues due to the increasing number of corona infections. It rained criticism from BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke.
During their consultations with the federal government, the prime ministers of the federal states decided that the heads of the state and senate chanceries should at least agree on a uniform regulation for major national events by February 9th. This emerges from the paper published after the video conference call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with the heads of government of the federal states.
So far, there have been different maximum limits in the states for the admission of spectators: In Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia, no fans are currently allowed in the arenas at all. In North Rhine-Westphalia, 750 spectators were last allowed.
On the other hand, the third-division leaders 1. FC Magdeburg played last Sunday against TSV Havelse 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.
BVB boss Watzke reacts with incomprehension
Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke from the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund has criticized the refusal of the federal and state governments to open the football stadiums to spectators in clear words and is even considering legal action.
“We will take a close look at the decisions of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and check whether we can have them checked in an urgent procedure,” said Watzke of the “German Press Agency”.
It was “bitter that after two years the majority of MPK participants only think of bans and not of a minimum of possibilities and logical decisions,” explained Watzke: “Almost three quarters of Germans have been vaccinated. There have been sufficient vaccination offers for months for every single citizen in this country. In the meantime, we also know a lot more about Omikron. Nevertheless, we sometimes allow almost 90 percent of the capacity indoors and only 750 people in open-air stadiums. People are locked out in the open air. That’s not proportionate, that It’s not science either, no one understands that anymore.”
There are always complaints that football gets special rights in Germany. “The opposite is the case. Football is falling victim to symbolic politics,” said Watzke.
