Every two weeks, before the Covid-19 crisis, the Bourssia Park stadium in Mönchengladbach used to fill the slightly more than 50,000 seats from where the local fans usually push their own lungs. This weekend, obviously, they won't be able to do it. However, Gladbach will also not walk alone in their match against Bayer Leverkusen, a direct rival for a place in the next Champions League. 13,000 cardboard fans, life-size and with personalized faces, will occupy your seat. They won't make noise, but they will add a little soul and color.

In fact, those 13,000 figures have been in place for a couple of days. The idea arose at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, where the group 'Franprojekt Mönchengladbach' launched an idea that flourished: for 19 euros , each fan could print their own image on cardboard and full size. His images would sneak into the stands and even the owners of an annual subscription would have the privilege of sitting (at least his cardboard figure) exactly in his usual place.

"We installed almost 13,000 effigies, but there are orders for about another 20,000," fan club president Thomas Ludwig told AFP affiliate SID. "It is a beautiful operation that creates an atmosphere in the stadium," adds Borussia's sports director, Max Eberl , "at the same time serves to remind us that football without fans is not the same."

INA FASSBENDERAFP

"It's fantastic. You really feel like you're not alone when you train at the stadium," adds Marco Rose , the team's coach. They already lived a frigid atmosphere in Frankfurt, where they defeated Eintracht (1-3), on the return of the Bundesliga. The idea is that these cardboard figures will lift their spirits in search of the classification for the next Champions League and, if any of them above loosens up, warn that, at least, they are there. Just like its people. Although the circumstances force that they cannot be of flesh and blood.

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