The Union players might be able to celebrate with their fans in the Alte Försterei next season Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
From BZ/dpa
Union Berlin will possibly be able to play their Champions League games in their own stadium.
The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on Tuesday without further citing a source that the European Football Union (UEFA) was considering extending the standing room pilot project. The final decision should be made at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the headquarters in Nyon.
The club had planned to move to the Olympic Stadium due to the large number of standing places in the An der Alten Försterei stadium.
The pilot project was launched last season after decades of standing room in European club competitions being banned. In the 2021/22 season, Union had already moved to west Berlin for its games in the Conference League.
Union President Zingler had expressed doubts about Champions League games in the Alte Försterei in mid-June. “We don’t know if the standing room program will continue. It could be, but then probably with folding seats. We can’t do that either,” he said.
In addition, UEFA’s conditions in the Champions League are such that “we would have to significantly reduce the cards that we can distribute ourselves,” said Zingler. “We can’t even make a theoretical offer for the Alte Försterei that every member can attend a game.”