The CEO of the German men’s soccer league is working with the German government on a plan to get fans back into stadiums for the Bundesliga during the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic had forced fans to be spectators from home but this is leading to a lot of revenue lost in live matches.
Christian Seifert, CEO of the German Football League which runs the top two divisions, told German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that ideas were being discussed with the government.
“Mass events are de facto ruled out until Oct. 31 unless they have a hygiene concept and it’s possible to track the attendees afterwards,” Seifert said in an interview published Sunday.
“We are working on guidelines of that sort and we have some first thoughts which we are exchanging with the Federal Ministry of Health.”
The CEO added that he thanks fans for showing a lot of discipline by not gathering outside the stadiums while games were being hosted.
The idea being floated is the limiting the number of fans present at the games and als enforcing social distancing rules.
German Bundesliga resumes today behind closed doors. List of today’s matches
Local health officials in Leipzig said Thursday they had approved a plan for up to 21,000 spectators — or 50% of capacity — at the Red Bull Arena with masks required and gaps between supporters, the dpa news agency reported.
Local officials have wide-ranging powers in Germany during the pandemic, but it’s not clear whether the league would allow some teams to resume with fans if others were still in empty stadiums.
Source: Bundesliga