German fans told to avoid stadiums

BERLIN • The Bundesliga returns on Saturday behind closed doors, but German fans are being warned to stay away and authorities have threatened to put a stop to games if too many people gather outside the grounds.

German football will be blazing a trail among Europe's top leagues by resuming two months after it was halted by the spread of the coronavirus, but its strategy is fraught with risks.

In a football-mad country which boasts the highest average attendances in the world - 43,302 people between 2013 and 2018, about 7,000 more than the English Premier League during the same period, the question on everyone's lips is: "Will fans be able to stay away?"

In Saxony, where third-placed RB Leipzig will welcome Freiburg (eighth) on Saturday, the state's interior minister Roland Woeller has vowed to enforce safe distancing.

"Fans must not use matches behind closed doors as an excuse to gather in front of the stadiums or elsewhere," he said. "This could lead to matches being stopped."

His concerns are justified. Several hundred supporters gathered in Monchengladbach when they beat Cologne 2-1 on March 11 - the only league game played behind closed doors, just days before the shutdown.

After weeks of meticulous planning and mass testing of players and backroom staff, it would be a nightmare for the Bundesliga if the fans were to derail the fragile recovery attempt.

However, Christian Seifert, chief executive officer of the Bundesliga, believes they will act responsibly. Broadcaster Sky has agreed to show some of Saturday's matches on a free-to-air channel, allaying fears that fans will gather in bars or public places to catch the pay-per-view service.

The centrepiece of the return to action is Borussia Dortmund at home to Schalke in the Ruhr derby, a match which would usually draw a sold-out crowd of 82,000. But this will be the first time the fixture will be staged behind closed doors since it began in 1925.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE