Berlin (AFP)
Football fans in Germany will return to the stadiums for the first time since October on Saturday, after Berlin authorities decided to lift the curbs on Covid so 2,000 people can watch Union Berlin’s final Bundesliga match of the season against RB Leipzig.
“Union Berlin has applied and, in consultation with the health authorities, we have decided to allow 2,000 supporters to enter the stadium,” Martin Pallgen, spokesperson for the sports department of the Berlin government, told the subsidiary of SID.
The move allows season ticket holders to watch from the stands as Berliners battle for a spot in next year’s Europa Conference League on the last day of the season.
In a statement posted on its website, the Union said that the “pilot event” could only continue if “the pandemic situation permitted”.
According to Pallgen, approval is conditional on keeping Berlin’s seven-day incidence rate below 100 new cases per 100,000 population this week.
If infection rates remain low, fans who have recovered from Covid-19, are fully vaccinated, or can provide an updated negative test will be admitted to the Alte Foersterei stadium, which typically hosts around 20,000 supporters.
With demand from notoriously passionate Union supporters far exceeding supply, tickets will be awarded via a lottery between season ticket holders.
Strict restrictions on the coronavirus have been in place in Germany since last fall, and Bundesliga stadiums have been empty since the end of October.
However, with infection rates falling across Germany and the country’s vaccination campaign now pulling across all levels, many states have taken cautious steps to open up the economy.
Al fresco dining will be allowed in Berlin from next weekend for the first time since October, while coastal areas like Schleswig-Holstein have opened up to tourists.
Still, Union will likely be the only top club to be trusted by its fans this weekend, after authorities in Munich and the football-savvy western state of North Rhine-Westphalia ruled out a return for fans. .
The Berlin club, which exceeds its weight this season, has been among the most active in trying to reopen the fans.
Criticized last summer for announcing controversial plans to bring the stadium back to full capacity, they have since been among the first clubs to try the day’s tests on journalists and club staff in closed-door matches.
Fans attending Saturday’s game will be able to get a free rapid antigen test at the club’s testing center, which opened to the public at a site adjacent to the stadium last month.
© 2021 AFP
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