Berlin (dpa) - Bundesliga referee Deniz Aytekin lacks the special football atmosphere in the current ghost games.
The referee had last led the derby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 and had already whistled the first ghost game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln in March before the interruption due to corona.
He totally lacks the feeling of being pushed, Aytekin said in the "Current Sports Studio" of the ZDF. There are spectators with season tickets, some of which have been known for years and even greet. That is missing because "in the end, we too live this passion," said Aytekin. "I have to admit that I had pulse rates at the last derby on Saturday that were extremely low compared to games with spectators," said Aytekin. The 41-year-old from Oberasbach added with a smile: "Maybe I have trained very well for the past seven weeks."
He attested exemplary behavior to the teams. "It felt less gesture, less theatricality," said the referee and was pleasantly surprised. "It might have been a bit more hectic with viewers."
Profile Aytekin on DFB homepage
