Two messages for the tenth game day that seem to have nothing to do with each other.

The first: For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the Frankfurt stadium, which was particularly atmospheric before the crisis, was sold out again.

The top game on Saturday between Eintracht Frankfurt and Leipzig (1: 1) should have been seen by 51,500 spectators.

But the reality of autumn 2021 is different.

Only 31,000 visitors came.

One reason for this: Members of the active fan scene and the ultras did not come because they reject the 2-G rule for standing room as well as the mask requirement for 3 G before.

The second piece of news: Chancellor Angela Merkel took part in the debate about Joshua Kimmich in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, who belongs to that relevant minority of citizens who have not yet been vaccinated: “Maybe Joshua Kimmich is still thinking about it.

He is known as a very reflective footballer. "

Kimmich is still a model professional

The Chancellor's appeal aims to face the crisis in a sensible way in order to overcome it.

But it is also clear: The pressure that has increased in the past week in the media and in society and is now being exerted on Kimmich by the highest political authorities, despite all the rationality of the argument, is in a strong area of ​​conflict with personal freedom of choice.

The vehemence of the debate and the danger that lies in the fact that a person can only be perceived as a vaccine skeptic or refusal to vaccinate and no longer as a whole is palpable.

Up until ten days ago, Kimmich was regarded throughout Germany as a model professional, a role model in terms of assertiveness, efficiency and strength of character.

He still is all that.

Having to remember is a no small part of the problem. The hardening of the debate is also evident in the choice of words. While in other areas attention is paid to sensitive language and manifest ascriptions are suppressed for good reasons, this does not happen with terms such as vaccine skeptics. Kimmich is now a vaccine skeptic. And not a person who is skeptical of vaccinations. That doesn't just make a difference linguistically.

It also makes it harder for people to turn around on this issue to take a different, socially desirable path. The vehemence of the argument - and at this point the audience in Frankfurt who did not come and the discussion about Kimmich who did not get vaccinated meet each other - can only be explained because on the big football stage it is exemplarily clear that As a free society we are in danger of failing because of the pandemic in the sense that we cannot overcome it together. At least not in a rational way, as a large majority would like.

It is not easy to accept that, and it is also disillusioning and insulting.

The only solution had been vaccination for more than a year.

But now, before the second Corona winter, it becomes clear that this solution does not exist.

In view of the low vaccination rate and increasing illnesses, one will have to look everywhere for regulations that are accepted by the people and suit the situation.

A long, exhausting and stressful winter is looming, not only in football.