The sports officials are not giving up hope: will the fans return to the stadiums soon?
Image: dpa
Football officials of the Bundesliga indicate the signs of the times: As early as November they hope that the stadium gates will open again for the fans – in keeping with the clash of the big rivals?
VThe bosses of the Bundesliga did not want to know anything about a setback. Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke assessed the result of the federal government’s Corona summit as a “clear signal” that the fans can expect the fans to return to the stadiums soon. His colleague Alexander Wehrle from 1. FC Köln was also “very confident”. In November, so their reading of things, the stadium gates will open. The German Football League (DFL) announced on Friday that it was ready for “binding discussions regarding a nationwide procedure”.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers did not set a deadline at the conference on Thursday. They only excluded the Bundesliga and all other nationwide sporting events from the decision that major events remain prohibited until the end of the year. Nevertheless, Watzke sees “a sign from politics that one would like to play with spectators again from the beginning of November”, as he explained to the “WAZ”. From a football perspective, there could hardly be a better time: On November 7th, BVB and Bayern Munich will meet.
The concerns are greater in the professional leagues of other ball sports, where audience income plays a significantly larger role. “The excitement is great,” said managing director Frank Bohmann of the Handball Bundesliga (HBL). “You are already playing with the business foundation of every club.” Nevertheless, the HBL is still relying on allowing spectators to be admitted at the start of the season on October 1st with the help of conclusive hygiene concepts. In ice hockey and basketball, the leagues do not start until November. So there is reason for hope for them too.
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