The demand of the prime ministers for a compulsory vaccination for football professionals sparked a sport-political debate. From the incumbent federal government, the CSU politician Stephan Mayer, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, joined the stance. "Like many millions of fellow citizens, I want the Bundesliga soccer leagues to continue with viewers during this difficult time of the fourth corona wave," he told the FAZ on Friday: "But this is only possible if if the greatest possible security is guaranteed with regard to the protection of all those involved from a possible corona infection. From my point of view, it cannot be conveyed to the spectators that the 2G rule rightly applies to them and in the stands,but the players can also participate in the game without vaccination. That is why I consider compulsory vaccination for football professionals to be justifiable and necessary. "

Michael Reinsch

Correspondent for sports in Berlin.

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After the federal-state conference on Thursday, Hendrik Wüst, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced that the Prime Ministers of the federal states were unanimously of the opinion "that if spectators in the stadium have to pay attention to 2G, in our opinion this also applies to the pros should apply ".

However, the legal situation for those on the field is different than for those in the stands: 3G applies at work.

States and municipalities can order 2G for the public.

Wüst said, “we have to check now” whether they could implement their ideas.

The upcoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented: “Of course, the federal states have the opportunity to combine both if they do that in a single event.” This is to be decided on site.

Mayer also emphasized that because of their great fame and popularity, football professionals have a special role model effect, "which they should be aware of, especially in this great challenge, in which vaccination means the way out of the pandemic."

The sports policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Mahmut Özdemir, also demanded: “Football professionals with high travel movements should be vaccinated, if only as a good role model.” Alluding to the unvaccinated and quarantined Joshua Kimmich, he continued: In individual cases in Bavaria, the Prime Minister could effectively clarify it on his own instead of collecting all footballers for this unnecessary discussion. "

His parliamentary group colleague Frank Ullrich, biathlon Olympic champion and successful in the fight for the Thuringian constituency of Suhl against Hans-Georg Maaßen, speaks out against the compulsory vaccination.

“For me, from my own experience, sport has a unifying character.

This should be preserved, "he told the FAZ:" If we now start discussing whether vaccination is mandatory in professional football, yes or no, then we will not only divide society further, but also the unifying character of the sport will crack. "More important as this dispute it is to maintain the club and mass sport and to enable children an exercise-friendly winter.