Emotions were definitely involved.

However, the interaction between the guests in the stands and the Frankfurt main actors on the lawn was not nearly as thrilling as in better days.

First of all, it was particularly loud at the beginning, when Eintracht started against Leipzig as ambitiously as their fans had hoped - and what of the majority of the audience, who at this early stage were still optimistic about a home win polyphonic cheers was accompanied.

Marc Heinrich

Sports editor.

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And then shortly before the end of the month, after Tuta, after another faulty performance by the team, headed to the 1: 1 equalizer and at least helped to avert the fourth defeat of the season.

The emotional outburst of the Brazilian, who was happy about his first Bundesliga goal with childlike cheerfulness, was accompanied by the frenetic cheers of the audience.

Otherwise, this football afternoon in the arena in the Frankfurt city forest was unusually calm in the stands.

Only 31,000 visitors came.

In addition to the result, which involved the team more intensively in the fight against relegation, another finding of the tenth matchday that must give the club thoughtful.

Empty seats cost the SBU a lot of money

For the first time in this round it was allowed to occupy all the seats in the stadium.

A good week ago, the Frankfurt health department gave the consent that 51,500 fans could watch the game live on site - with a maximum of 5000 people tested and the rest in the second autumn of the pandemic under 2G conditions: vaccinated or recovered.

It was still open on Monday whether this permission to suspend the state ordinance in view of increasing incidences on November 25 in the second leg against Antwerp and then against Union Berlin (November 28) was still open.

In the Ministry of Social Affairs in Wiesbaden, it was said, the development should be closely monitored.

In any case, Eintracht's opening offer on Saturday did not meet with a response, as would have been absolutely customary before the Corona crisis.

Above all, the upper tier remained empty.

From Eintracht's point of view, there are a number of reasons for this, which have one thing in common: They cost the club, whose turnover has already almost halved to around 150 million euros in the 2020 financial year, additional money in the short term - and in the long run there is a risk that the stadium experience, as it has been valued by the masses so far, may no longer exist in the future.

What are the reasons for the fans?

On the one hand, the reluctance of the sympathizers is explained by the short-term nature between the authorization of the authorities and the start of advance ticket sales; potential interested parties simply didn't have the time to organize their visit to the stadium. In addition, as CEO Axel Hellmann told Bild live, it is “strange” for a number of people in the current situation to go full length despite the mask and thus to manage the journey to the stadium.

“We have a structure of the groups at Eintracht, which drive together from the surrounding area to the home games. If people are excluded, they would rather go to a pub to watch the game as a group than have to leave someone behind, ”said Hellmann. At the same time, he cares about the next generation of fans. Because: Children under the age of twelve are still not vaccinated, which means that the hurdles for them (and their parents) to experience unity up close are particularly great.

20,000 season ticket holders stayed away from RB Leipzig, which isn’t the greatest attraction anyway.

Hellmann spoke to the FAZ “about the lack of regular milieus”.

Another point that worries the lawyer on the Eintracht board is the fact that a considerable number of followers felt that football was "something alien" during the long period of the lockdown.

In the north-west curve, where Eintracht's most passionate comrades-in-arms once had their place, there were others with fan scarfs or jerseys against RB, who, however, did not offer a similarly orchestrated support and also did not have the huge flags that used to be the picture of Sea of ​​flags shaped.

The ultras are missing

The so-called active fan scene, i.e. the ultras and numerous registered fan clubs, avoid the only rudimentary Deutsche Bank Park. As long as all restrictions are not lifted, this should not change. Her motto: all or none! They bump into the corona-related personalization of the tickets. The Ultras do not want to reveal their contact details at all. Because they fear a similar handling in the post-Corona period, if they would now make concessions.

However, since a vaccination or recovered ID card or a quick test in anonymized form has no value, and this is a basic requirement for entry in a comprehensible form, larger groups of Ultras meet instead - sometimes near the stadium - in parallel far from the action.

Just like this Thursday, in a restaurant in Niederrad, where they will then watch the Europa League away game in Piraeus.