Ka full stadium, but a little atmosphere and maybe even a beer: like the games in the 3rd division and women’s Bundesliga, the games in the DFB Cup can be played with spectators despite the coronavirus pandemic. With a corresponding decision by the DFB Presidium, German football is fighting back at least a little bit of normalcy in the Corona crisis. At its meeting on Monday, the management committee of the German Football Association (DFB) decided on the necessary additions to the implementation regulations for the DFB game regulations.
The final admission of fans and the determination of the maximum number of spectators is still the responsibility of the responsible health authorities. Both are based on regional availability and must be individually coordinated by each club on site. “Health protection remains the top priority. We are aware of the great responsibility in football and want to set a good example for the sport, ”said DFB General Secretary Friedrich Curtius.
The flexible solutions could mean that some games in the first round of the cup take place with an audience on the second weekend in September, while other games have to be played in front of empty stands. A similar scenario threatens a week later at the start of the season of the 3rd division. Fans of the respective visiting club will definitely not have access to the stadiums until the end of the year.
Anyone who gets a ticket for the DFB Cup or the 3rd league can even hope to get a beer in the stadium despite the general ban on serving alcohol. “In the case of express approval by the local authorities, clubs in the 3rd division and the participants in the DFB Cup can exceptionally lift this ban,” said the DFB. This regulation does not apply to the women’s Bundesliga – as it does to all of professional football.
The basis for the 2020/21 season is the updated hygiene concept in cooperation between the DFB and the German Football League (DFL), which the DFB Presidium declared binding on Monday. The measures laid down in the guidelines optimized by the “Sports Medicine / Special Match Operations” task force relate to the organization and implementation of training and match operations as well as the work processes in the stadiums. The DFL wants to have the paper approved by the 36 professional clubs for the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga at its general meeting on Thursday in Frankfurt.
Five substitutions allowed instead of three
Compared to the previous versions, there are three pandemic levels in the updated hygiene concept, on which the defined measures are based. The gradation offers the possibility of regional solutions that specifically address the local conditions.
As with the continuation of the previous season, five instead of three substitutions will be allowed in all DFB divisions – with the exception of the third division. “Our goal is to protect your health and avoid an accumulation of injuries,” said DFB Vice President Peter Frymuth, explaining the decision. In the third division, the majority of the clubs spoke out against this corona rule.
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