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Although there is no compulsory vaccination in the NFL, the measures for unvaccinated players are immensely tightened
Photo: Jack Dempsey / AP
The American football league NFL wants to introduce tougher corona rules in order to be able to pull through the coming season in the targeted 18 weeks.
According to media reports, it should be planned that a major Covid outbreak among non-vaccinated players will, in the worst case, result in a defeat for the team concerned if the game is at risk.
The letter from the NFL to the clubs states that a game will be counted as lost if not enough professionals are available and the game cannot be postponed.
In addition, if the game is canceled, no player gets his salary for that match day - this applies to both the team that caused the cancellation and the "innocent" opponent.
The polluter team pays for the costs incurred.
In addition, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could impose further penalties.
Vaccination quota should be increased
The NFL wants to proceed differently with vaccinated players.
"If a club cannot play with vaccinated people due to a corona outbreak, we will try to minimize the competitive and economic burden on both participating teams," the NFL wrote to the clubs.
The NFL apparently wants to force a higher vaccination rate within the teams in order to prevent corona infections and the associated postponements, as happened last season.
The league even threatened to end the season.
The corona numbers are currently rising again significantly in the USA, and the vaccination rate is also falling.
According to information, more than 78 percent of the players in the NFL have received at least one vaccination, and at least 85 percent of the players in 14 teams are vaccinated.
All 32 teams should have a vaccination rate of at least 50 percent for the players, it is said.
It is currently the case that an NFL team with a vaccination rate of over 85 percent benefits from relaxation in everyday training, for example.
Vaccinated players can now free themselves from quarantine with two negative tests within 24 hours if they are corona-positive and asymptomatic.
Unvaccinated players, on the other hand, should remain in isolation for ten days and have no contact with the team.
Corona cases also determined the Bundesliga
What the DFL wanted to prevent also happened in the Bundesliga last season.
First division clubs like Hertha BSC or Schalke 04 were sent into quarantine.
There had never been a 14-day isolation in the first German division despite other corona cases.
The result was scheduling problems and the fear that the schedule could not be kept.
mjm / dpa
