The ball rolls and the stands are filled again. But with the increasing incidence, sports clubs fear closings again. They no longer want to accept that.
Borussia Dortmund fans were allowed to pose next to the DFB Cup with a small plaster on their arms. A small incentive for the vaccination against the coronavirus, for which several Bundesliga clubs have advertised in the past few days and weeks – also for an end in itself. The season that begins this Friday with the opening game of champions FC Bayern at Borussia Mönchengladbach will continue to be heavily influenced by the pandemic. And vaccination, said BVB managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke, is the “key to everything”.
In the emotional and political debate about the equal treatment of those who have been vaccinated, those who have recovered and those who have been tested, the focus of professional football is on the capacity utilization of the stadiums. And thus also about the money of the paying visitors. From the end of August, 1. FC Köln will no longer accept negative corona tests for stadium access. Hoffenheim’s managing director Jan Mayer, however, sees such considerations as an “obligation to vaccinate through the back door”.
On Tuesday, those responsible hoped for clear statements from the federal-state switch. “I expect decisions to be made that will give us a perspective in the medium term,” said Watzke. “Now is the time to make bold decisions, and when you can no longer solve everything by locking the shop.”
Desperate appeal to the fans: “Get vaccinated!”
The clubs look with concern at the increasing incidence at their locations. The number of spectators could be reduced again from the second game day at the latest. Gladbach expects 23,000 fans against Bayern – financially, most clubs will only be helped by a significantly higher occupancy in the area before Corona. Eintracht Frankfurt had recently made it clear that if necessary, they would also take legal action in order to get clarity on the audience question.
“If you want us to feel something like normality in the foreseeable future, if you want to go back to the stadium, which we are eagerly waiting for, then please get vaccinated,” Watzke appealed to the BVB fans. On Tuesday, SC Freiburg promised a total of 1,100 free tickets for a Bundesliga game to those who get vaccinated at the Freiburg fair on the weekend. In Germany, just over 54 percent of the total population is now fully vaccinated.
The vaccination rate among professional footballers is not known in detail. Shortly before the start of the season, however, the German Football League was forced to issue a circular with urgent vaccination advertising. “Everyone is free not to be vaccinated – but then there must also be an obligation to ensure that you do not get infected with the coronavirus,” wrote DFL managing director Christian Seifert, as the “Bild” – Newspaper and the “kicker” quoted.
Footballers also have to be convinced
The system is fragile. In the event of infections within the teams, there is a risk of game cancellations, which could lead to further problems in the tight schedule. In the 3rd league, the MSV Duisburg had to start late due to corona cases, in the 2nd league SV Darmstadt 98 had to struggle with a squad that was severely reduced due to a quarantine order.
“It should be in the common interest not to jeopardize the performance of the clubs as employers and (…) to prevent negative influences on sporting competition in the interests of solidarity,” wrote Seifert. He asked “to continue to seek intensive dialogue, especially with your players, as to whether and how to deal with the pandemic-related challenges”.
Quite a few players had recently advertised the corona vaccination. “For you. For me. For everyone. Do it for your fellow men too,” wrote national player Leroy Sané from FC Bayern, for example on Twitter. VfB Stuttgart and BVB recently reported further corona cases from the Bundesliga. Both clubs easily survived the first round of the DFB Cup.
“We are actually almost completely vaccinated,” said Hertha sports director Fredi Bobic on Sky. “There are some players – not many – who have not yet been vaccinated. They still have to take a test every day. Nevertheless, we try to convince them with arguments.” The Cologne managing director Alexander Wehrle, who is very much in favor of vaccination, made it clear: “Our team is practically vaccinated, so we are quite relaxed.” Daniel Caligiuri from Augsburg tested positive at the end of July despite being completely vaccinated.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
