Eisern Union and the game in front of spectators against Bayern. While leagues may shut down and ghost games may become a habit, the local authority responsible decides otherwise. You will see if it stays that way.
Berlin (dpa) - The stadium at the Alte Försterei in Berlin's Köpenick district is not only something special for fans of 1. FC Union Berlin. They call themselves the Iron.
Of course, they are not immune to the novel corona virus. Nevertheless, according to the current status, the game, the first of the Unioners in front of their home team as a Bundesliga soccer club against Bayern Munich, will be held in front of crowded ranks.
How can it be if ghost games are introduced elsewhere in Germany? When FC Bayern will play the home game in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Chelsea, almost a small revival of the "Finale dahoam", without spectators. When the German Ice Hockey League dispenses with a champion for the first time in its history and declares the season prematurely over.
And when in Berlin, the city of the newcomer and newcomer Union, cultural life almost comes to a standstill and the performances in the large halls of the state houses in the German capital are initially canceled until April 19.
"It is still clear that decisions about in-depth measures for the game operation such as spectator exclusions or game cancellations must be made and initiated by the responsible health authorities," said the German Football Association after a meeting of the presidents and managing directors of the regional and state associations. "We trust the expertise of the local authorities," emphasized DFB general secretary Friedrich Curtius. "You are the experts here. Only on this basis can appropriate measures be taken for the game operation. This applies to both professional and amateur football."
The local authorities in the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick had informed the club that "after extensive examination of the current risk assessment regarding the spread of the Corona virus, they decided not to order spectators to be excluded from the home game on March 14th, 2020 Union had announced. However, the health office Treptow-Köpenick was forced to publish a clarification in the evening, in which it was stated that the office and also the responsible department head had not made a decision to carry out the game on March 14, 2020 with audience participation.
In any case, they didn't hit spectators. "Union or Köpenicks Mayor: Who is in charge now?" asked the tabloid "BZ". District Mayor Oliver Igel (SPD) did not want to exclude the exclusion of spectators, but also said: "Of course I hope that Union wins against Bayern in a sold-out stadium!" Club boss Dirk Zingler had previously made it clear in the "Berliner Morgenpost" that he expected a game with spectators.
Unlike, for example, the catch-up game on Wednesday between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln - the first Bundesliga ghost game ever. Or at the district derby Dortmund against Schalke on Saturday - otherwise a highlight of the year for the two fan camps. Or the game between Bremen and Leverkusen on Monday.
"From an infectious point of view, stadiums are hotspots," said the head of virus diagnostics at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, zeit.de: "50,000 people or more in a confined space, hugging and roaring: That is actually all we want to avoid. " The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" commented: "But in Berlin, at Union, they still don't understand which game is playing now."
Expert at zeit.de
DFB announcement
BZ report