Coronavirus: Bundesliga before historic weekend - ghost games at a glance

The corona crisis reached top-class sport. In the Bundesliga only ghost games are scheduled, in the Premier League a cracker duel was canceled.

• The corona virus is spreading more and more in Germany.
• Virologists recommend drastic measures.
• In the coming days, only ghost games will take place in the Bundesliga , in the Premier League a cracker was canceled directly.

12.43 p.m .: Due to the spread of the corona virus, all matches of the 26th matchday of the Bundesliga take place without spectators. As the last game, the clash between RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg was confirmed as a ghost game on Wednesday.

Dear football fans!

We have just decided with a heavy heart to play our home game against SC Freiburg on Saturday due to the current situation and the uncertainty in dealing with the Corona virus.

Statement Oliver #Mintzlaff
pic.twitter.com/WPCOQ4MYFj

Update of March 11, 12:13 pm: The Italian football association FIGC hopes that Serie A can be played despite the interruption due to the coronavirus crisis, but is also considering other solutions.

The termination of the 2019/20 season is not ruled out, according to a statement published by the association.

The association is considering play-offs between the four best-placed teams and possible relegation games among the last four clubs in terms of relegation. A termination with Juventus as a new master, or without choosing a master, is also possible.

Update of March 11, 10:58 a.m .: Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach will postpone its annual general meeting scheduled for April 21 due to the spread of the corona virus to a later date.

This was announced by the club on Wednesday. So far there was no timely invitation for the members, but a reference to the date. Meanwhile it became known that Eintracht Frankfurt will be played against Gladbach on Sunday (3.30 p.m.) without spectators. This decision was announced by Frankfurt's health department head Stefan Majer (Greens) on Wednesday. Previously, several Bundesliga games had been announced without spectators.

Coronavirus Bundesliga / Premier League: ghost game in Berlin? England cracker canceled

Update of March 11, 9:38 a.m .: The Premier League game scheduled for Wednesday evening between Manchester City and Arsenal has fallen victim to the corona virus . The game was canceled for security reasons because some Arsenal employees had contact with Evangelos Marinakis , the club owner of Olympiacos Piraeus and Nottingham Forest . Marinakis had announced that he had been infected with the corona virus.

Two weeks ago, the top Greek club Olympiakos had played in the Europa League at Arsenal , and Marinakis had also traveled. On medical advice, Arsenal and Manchester City decided to postpone their duel on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the game between Union Berlin and FC Bayern will probably take place in front of empty ranks.

Coronavirus: international match before empty ranks - DFB team with a ghost game against Italy

Update of March 10, 5:56 p.m .: Managing Director Jörg Schmadtke from VfL Wolfsburg considers it imperative to cancel the upcoming international matches due to the Corona crisis. "At the moment my train of thought is: I will not send our players away, I will forbid them," said Schmadtke to the specialist magazine kicker .

Between March 22nd and April 3rd there is an international break in the Bundesliga. According to the current status, a large number of professionals would have to travel across the world. And because of the obligation to park, the Bundesliga clubs are basically hand tied.

"The sovereignty lies with FIFA," said Schmadtke. The managing director therefore wants to "enter into a dialogue". He had already deposited his position with the DFL in the appropriate place. Schmadtke also sees the EM at risk: "It feels like it's far away, but on the other hand, with the current state of play, it cannot be ruled out that the tournament cannot take place."

A problem is the planned staging in eleven European cities as well as in the Asian Baku: "The way the tournament is structured," says the 55-year-old, "it could be complicated. Especially given the fact that teams and fans should travel back and forth. "

Coronavirus / Bundesliga: Six Bundesliga games are ghost games at the weekend

Update of March 10, 5.50 p.m .: Next Saturday (3.30 p.m.), TSG Hoffenheim's game against Hertha BSC will also be played without a spectator due to the risk of infection with the corona virus.

The Kraichgauer announced this decision after consulting the responsible authorities on Tuesday afternoon. It is the sixth game of the 26th game day, which is kicked off before empty ranks.

Also the game between 1. FC Köln and FSV Mainz 05 will not have any spectators at the weekend due to the new corona virus. Likewise the game between Fortuna Düsseldorf and SC Paderborn on Friday.

With the encounter between SpVgg Greuther Fürth and Hamburger SV on Friday (6.30 p.m.), the 2nd Bundesliga also has its first ghost game because of the corona virus.

Coronavirus Bundesliga / DFB team: ghost game against Italy - Revierderby without fans

The game will "stand today closed to the public," said Fürth on Tuesday.

That should also apply to the simultaneous fixation of Arminia Bielefeld against VfL Osnabrück. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia had banned events with more than 1000 visitors such as Bavaria, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein.

On the upcoming second division weekend, the duels between Jahn Regensburg and Holstein Kiel and between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) would also be affected.

The football games in French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 will take place without spectators until April 15th. This was announced by the professional league LFP on Tuesday, responding to the coronavirus epidemic.

The police prefecture of Paris had already decided on Monday that the Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris St. Germain and Borussia Dortmund would take place on Wednesday (9:00 p.m. in the live ticker) without an audience in the Prinzenpark Stadium.

Coronavirus: international match before empty ranks - DFB team with a ghost game against Italy

Update from March 10, 4:40 p.m .: The corona virus now also affects the international matches. To prevent the spread of the disease, the city of Nuremberg informed the DFB on Tuesday that the international match on March 31 between Germany and Italy will take place without spectators.

The international match between Germany and Italy on March 31 in # Nürnberg must take place according to the current planning status without spectators in the stadium. The City of Nuremberg informed the @DFB of this today. #GERITA #The team pic.twitter.com/bFPXJMrQU1

Due to the spread of the corona virus, the international test is being played in front of empty ranks according to the current planning status. "Health is paramount," said Secretary General Friedrich Curtius in a message from the German Football Association on Tuesday. The city of Nuremberg had previously informed the DFB of the decision.

"The authorities have now set clear guidelines for which we are very grateful in this difficult and complex question. Even if it is of course bitter that this classic must take place in front of empty ranks, ”said Curtius.

Coronavirus: Further ghost games confirmed in the Bundesliga - BVB manager Zorc with criticism

Update of March 10, 1:31 p.m .: The Bundesliga game scheduled for Monday evening by SV Werder Bremen against Bayer Leverkusen may only take place in front of empty ranks due to the corona virus . Bremen's Senator Ulrich Mäurer announced on Tuesday that the game could only be played as a ghost game “or not at all”. Events with over 1000 people are prohibited. "It is certain that there will be no spectators in the Weser Stadium on Monday," said Mäurer.

Bremen's Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) hopes that the match day will be postponed. He wrote to the German Football League with a request to this effect, said a spokesman. DFL boss Christian Seifert had already said, however, that a break in the Bundesliga was "illusory" and would be useless. The game is scheduled to kick off on Monday at 8:30 p.m.

The district derby between Dortmund and Schalke also takes place in front of empty ranks. BVB sports director Michael Zorc put the loss of revenue at least three million euros. In view of the considerations of playing more Bundesliga games without fans in the coming weeks, he sees further need for discussion. "All of this is not yet thought through to the end."

Corona virus: next ghost game in the Bundesliga confirmed - BVB against Schalke without fans

Update of March 10, 12:52 p.m .: The corona crisis has reached Spanish professional football. On Tuesday, La Liga announced that the next two games of the first and second league will be held in camera.

Real Madrid is particularly affected by the ghost games . The royal team around the German international Toni Kroos have to do without SD Eibar and Valencia CF in two home games without the support of their supporters .

Even in Poland's first football league , the games will take place without a spectator for an indefinite period. One responds to the government's ban on spectators at major events, the association Ekstraklasa said on Tuesday.

Since this government regulation applies indefinitely, it is not possible to postpone the games until a later date.

⚽ The 11 matchdays left in @ LaLigaEN. # RMLiga | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/fVyPTPu1WB

Update from March 10th, 12:29 pm: Now it's official: The district derby between BVB and FC Schalke next Saturday will take place without spectators . The city of Dortmund confirmed this on Tuesday at a press conference.

It is the second consecutive ghost game for BVB . The round of 16 second leg in the Champions League at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening also takes place without spectators.

Update from March 10, 11:22 p.m .: Apparently the Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 will also take place without spectators. The television station n-tv reports that the game will take place on Saturday (3.30 p.m.) as a ghost game .

Coronavirus / Bundesliga: First ghost game confirmed - apparently also the Revierderby without fans

Update of March 10, 9:33 a.m .: The corona virus continues to occupy the Bundesliga - now there is apparently the first ghost game . According to information from n-tv , the catch-up game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln (Wednesday, 6.30 p.m.) will take place in camera. According to n-tv.de , there should be an official confirmation at a press round at noon.

Bergamo professional Robin Gosens will also experience this scenario on Tuesday evening. The Italian legionnaire has now given interesting insights into his everyday life.

Corona virus: ghost games are piling up - Serie A is suspended for several weeks

Update of March 10, 7:08 a.m .: Two more Europa League games will take place on Thursday due to the spread of the novel corona virus without an audience. The clash between Olympiakos Piraeus and the Wolverhampton Wanderers will also be played without fans, as will the match between Sevilla FC and AS Roma . This was announced by the European Football Union (UEFA) and the Andalusian authorities. Previously, a spectator exclusion had already been arranged for the game between Inter Milan and Getafe .

Corona virus: First BVB ghost game confirmed - Serie A will be suspended until April

Update of March 9, 10:47 p.m .: Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has turned the whole country into a restricted area. The Italian football league Serie A is now having a bad impact.

All games are suspended until April 3rd. That was decided by the National Olympic Committee (CONI). International competitions such as Champions League or Europa League as well as national team games are not their responsibility.

Update 3.15 p.m .: Borussia Dortmund will reimburse its fans for the tickets for the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League at Paris Saint-Germain . "Dear BVB fans, it really hurts us that we have to do without you at #PSGBVB! We will of course reimburse the purchase price for the ticket, ”the association tweeted:“ We are currently writing to everyone and informing them about how and how this will be done. ”

Dear BVB fans, it really hurts us that we have to do without you at #PSGBVB! We will of course refund the purchase price for the ticket. We are currently writing to each individual and informing them about how and how this will be done.

Update 12:08: Now it's official - the game between Paris St. Germain and Borussia Dortmund takes place on Wednesday due to the corona virus in front of empty ranks . This was announced by the police prefecture of the French capital.

In contrast, the duel between RB Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker) will allow spectators to enter the stadium as usual. This was decided by the Leipzig Health Department in an interview with RB officials on the corona crisis , as city spokesman Matthias Hasberg said. This decision was based on several points: Great Britain , where the guests come from on Tuesday, is not a Corona risk area . The game is also an open-air event - and the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) would still differentiate between indoor and outdoor events. In addition, the time factor spoke against a cancellation or a ghost game without a spectator.

The first measures are also being taken at TV broadcaster Sky because of the corona virus.

Update 10:48: Borussia Dortmund could face two ghost games in the coming days. In addition to the district derby against Schalke 04 on Saturday, this scenario also threatens in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 at Paris St. Germain on Wednesday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker), as reported by French media.

The sports newspaper L'Équipe reported that under normal conditions, the kick-off would become "increasingly hypothetical" due to the spread of the new corona virus . The paper speculates that a decision will be announced this Monday. A shift of the game seems impossible due to the tight schedule.

UEFA has since confirmed that there will definitely be no mixed zone with the opportunity for journalists to talk to players after the game in Paris. Interviews will only be carried out by the TV channels approved on the sidelines.

Poll: What do you think of possible ghost games?

Corona virus in Germany: Bundesliga threaten ghost games

First report from March 9, 9:59 a.m .:

Berlin - cancel Bundesliga matches? In view of the corona crisis in Germany, politicians now think this is possible. Health Minister Jens Spahn recommended that events with more than 1000 visitors be canceled. NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) said on Sunday evening in the ARD program "Anne Will" that the country would implement Spahn's recommendation - "tomorrow or now, absolutely clear".

"From Bielefeld to Cologne", the NRW Minister of Health wants to ensure that there are no football games with the public. In his opinion, it was also important that not individual clubs were affected by ghost games, but everyone, Laumann emphasized in "Anne Will".

According to Laumann, this applies to the Bundesliga derby Borussia Mönchengladbach against 1. FC Köln on Wednesday (6.30 p.m.). The game was canceled due to a storm storm in February and would now take place as a ghost game based on these plans.

The weekend is the 26th matchday, including the derby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 .

Ghost games over corona virus in NRW - who can enforce?

"If we now say very clearly that we no longer want to allow events (with) more than 1000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, then this is a recommendation from the State Health Minister to the lower health authorities." But he was sure that there was now a uniform implementation. "In truth, it's like an order."

As in other European countries and worldwide, Sars-CoV-2 is spreading rapidly in Germany. At the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) , 902 infections were recorded by Sunday afternoon, although not all evidence from the federal states had already been registered there. Most cases in Germany are recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

The World Medical Association welcomed Spahn's recommendation as "completely correct". "You can't have football games with 35,000 visitors as if nothing had happened," said Frank Ulrich Montgomery, head of the World Medical Association, the editorial network Germany (RND, Monday).

Is VfB Stuttgart a ghost game against Arminia Bielefeld?

It is still unclear whether Arminia Bielefeld will host a ghost game on Monday (March 9, 8:30 p.m.) with the league favorite VfB Stuttgart. The game takes place in Baden-Württemberg. Each federal state must enforce the recommendation itself.

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dpa / ml

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