Everything seemed so clear and unambiguous: a maximum of every second seat in the stadium should be allowed to be occupied, but not more than 25,000 spectators.

The federal states agreed on this at the beginning of July.

Only Bavaria pulled out with a maximum occupancy of 35 instead of 50 percent.

Nevertheless: The clubs, especially the clubs of the Bundesliga, had planning security.

Little is left of this in view of the increasing incidence.

It still seems completely unclear how the clubs treat those who have been vaccinated, those who have recovered and who have been tested.

And on top of that, the politicians in Berlin apparently do not notice what is being agreed in the cities.

Gustav Theile

Editor in business.

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Instead, football spreads the feeling of déjà vu: everything has been there before. Shortly before the last Bundesliga season, which started a month later because of the pandemic, the federal states had agreed on a common line. "In a six-week test phase, a maximum utilization of 20 percent of the respective capacity is permitted," it said in a report in mid-September 2020. On the first days of the match, some games actually saw several thousand spectators in the stadiums. Those responsible in the clubs spoke of being able to play in front of full ranks again in the second half of the season. Ultimately, the "experiment" or the "trial start", as Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) called the step at the time, did not last long: the next wave had long since started.The next lockdown was only weeks away.

Some cities are breaking the limit

And this year?

When the federal states reached an agreement a good three weeks ago, the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, emphasized: "It is important that we have found a common line at cross-border sporting events and other major events, especially in the field of culture." Now, however, more and more cities are meeting the stipulated hurdle for the agreed regulation.

The prerequisite is that the local 7-day incidence is no more than 35 (in Baden-Württemberg: 50). In the men's first and second national soccer league, Düsseldorf, where the incidence on Thursday was 41.6 according to the RKI, Wolfsburg with an incidence of 57.1, Kiel with 37.7, and Frankfurt are acutely affected. Here the value shot up to 37.1 on Thursday, compared to 25.2 on Wednesday. Berlin Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, where Hertha BSC plays, also breaks the limit with 35.3. However, Hertha’s first home game will only take place in more than three weeks.

Above the threshold of 35 there are very different regulations depending on the state and city.

Eintracht Frankfurt argued publicly with the state of Hesse earlier this week.

The city had admitted a total of 10,000 spectators to a test match against St. Etienne on Saturday, 5000 of them vaccinated or recovered, 5000 tested.

The Ministry of Social Affairs protested, only wanted to allow a total of 5,000 spectators, without a special contingent for vaccinated and convalescent people.

However, after Eintracht announced that it wanted to sue and the city had not viewed the state's interpretative notes on the state's Corona regulation as legally binding, Wiesbaden gave up.

Vaccinated, recovered and tested - no difference?

So while Frankfurt had to fight for the special contingent for vaccinated and genesis patients, it has long existed in Düsseldorf. "According to the currently valid CoronaSchutzVO NRW, we are allowed to let 1000 people (tested) and 17,000 fully immunized people into the arena at incidence level 2," the second division Fortuna Düsseldorf announced on request. As a result, the stadium will be used to a third at the second division home game against Werder Bremen, as provided for in the state's ordinance.