So it's happening again; so-called ghost games are returning to the Bundesliga. As of December 28, all professional sports, as well as cultural and other comparable major events will be forced behind closed doors — no spectators allowed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the measures Tuesday evening saying the government's aim was to reduce personal contactas a way of curbing the risk of infection.
When the second half of the Bundesliga season kicks off with the match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach on January 7, TV viewers will once again be able to clearly hear the discussions between coaches and the officials on the pitch. The chanting of the supporters, celebrations of goals in the stands — in short, the emotions that make football so special — will again be silenced for an indefinite period of time.
Major loss of revenue for Bundesliga clubs
It didn't take long before the outcry of the club bosses, which cannot be ignored, could be heard in the media. Cologne managing director Alexander Wehrle stated that his club stood to lose €1.8 million ($2 million) for every match played behind closed doors. Bayern Munich officials spoke of losses of between €4 million to €5 million per home game — but they should be able to take this in stride due to the club's well-filled fixed deposit account. And earlier in the week, the newly elected chairman of the supervisory board of the German Football League (DFL), Hans-Joachim Watzke said: "Professional football in Germany has coherent plans as outdoor events with already significantly reduced spectator capacity."
Omicron unimpressed
Sure, stable infection figures after matchdays certainly speak for the Bundesliga and its plans. But don't expect omicron to pay any heed to the Bundesliga clubs' existing measures.
The dangerous thing about this new variant is that it appears to be many times more contagious than its predecessors. Even more than before, the real dangers lurk during "arrival and departure, in the toilets and then, of course, in the (VIP) boxes," explains aerosols researcher Gerhard Scheuch.
And experience has shown that it is not always possible to maintain sufficient physical distancing on the way to or from a match. Fans crowded together on buses, trains and in front of the entrance gates of the stadiums — amount to a virtual paradise for this highly contagious variant of the virus. Even if plans for getting fans into and out of stadiums have improved, the risk still exists. In this respect, the government's decision is correct and, above all, consistent.
After all, it is not only football that will have to do without support from the stands in the next few weeks. Other sports leagues, such as the Basketball Bundesliga, the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) and the men's Handball Bundesliga, will also have to do without their fans. And these sports will be hit much harder by the exclusion of spectators. None of these leagues can fall back on TV contracts worth millions — as they can in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
Ghost games for all!
So, this time, there is no special treatment for football. There are no exceptions for indoor or outdoor sports. It's ghost games for everyone! And, yes, this is really not good news for professional sports. But it is good news for German society as a whole. Because a worldwide pandemic is not a time for individual sensitivities to be taken into account. Not even when it comes to the Bundesliga.
This article was translated from German.