The German League is bowing to political pressure to reject the return of the fans next season
The German Football League submitted today to political pressure, and the position of government authorities to refuse the return of the fans to the stadiums at the start of the new season, which begins in the middle of next month. "The League has always stressed that containing the Coronavirus should be a priority. Therefore, we respect the position of the federal health ministers and county governments," the association said in a statement.
The association believed that "the goal should be to strive for a return to normal life in all areas of life, with the target concepts (the return of the public) commensurate with the situation."
The League’s position comes after German Health Minister Jens Spahn opposed its plan to partially return to the public at the start of the next season of the "Bundesliga", considering yesterday that this would send a "bad signal" at a time when the country is witnessing an escalation in the number of HIV cases.
The German League was the first of the major European leagues to resume activity after the suspension imposed by the outbreak of the "Covid-19" virus, but the clubs lost millions as a result of completing the season behind closed doors.
Span said on Twitter at the end of a meeting with regional health ministers that "the presence of thousands of fans in the stadiums is not in line with the current development" of the number of injuries, explaining, "The issue now is about not risking avoidable risks. We feel that we must remain vigilant." "In the current situation, the presence of thousands of fans in the stadiums is a bad sign," he added.
In the middle of last month, the German League announced that it would open the door to a partial return of the fans to the stadiums next season, according to specific directives to prevent the spread of the "Covid-19" virus. The association sent a guide to the 36 clubs in the first and second divisions to help them present ideas and plans for the return of the fans to their stadiums.
Early this month, the 36 clubs agreed on the guide presented and the proposed measures in it, such as banning fans' parking and selling alcoholic drinks in stadiums until October and fans traveling with their teams for matches scheduled outside the home until the end of the year.
However, the German authorities have expressed their caution about this proposal, especially in light of the increasing concern that the number of injuries will rise again with the return of German tourists from abroad (the rate of injuries has reached nearly a thousand cases per day recently).