Facts have emerged that the 2020-21 German Bundesliga season will be held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has stopped fans from being in the stands.
However, the UEFA Supercup clash that will involve Bayern Munich and Sevilla will be a trial for supporters to return. This will therefore be a one-off for the German side for now.
According to a decision made by the German government, the 2020-21 Bundesliga season will be played without fans in stadiums until at least the end of October.
The new Bundesliga season kicks off on September 18. But the German campaign will begin with the first round of the DFB-Pokal on September 11 before Bundesliga kicks off the following weekend.
Although some countries have started inviting fans back into the stands with social distancing protocols in top gear. This means that the German fans have to wait till October to have any hope of seeing their teams play live.
Why fans are not allowed into stadiums for Bundesliga games yet
Germany made the decision in order to avoid further spike of coronavirus. The decision was made by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Ministers of Germany’s federal states at a conference.
They said local governments should work out proposals on how fans could be allowed to return to stadiums in a limited capacity by the end of October.
They further said that in a situation where contacts cannot be traced and hygiene regulations cannot be complied with at major events, spectators won’t be allowed to return until at least the end of the year.
According to Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Soder, it wouldn’t make sense for football to resume with spectators in September. He added that such would send the wrong message if the number of infections was to increase.
Although the German Bundesliga was the first major European league to return to action after the coronavirus lockdown in May, they are not in haste to have fans back in the stadiums. The return of the league action gave football fans their first taste of the ‘Geisterspeiele’ – ‘ghost games’ – which have since become the norm.
However, it was a different case in France. Although the league governing body had suspended the championship last season, and awarded the title to PSG, up to 5,000 people per match are allowed to watch their teams from the stands when the new Ligue 1 season kicked off.
Fans to watch Bayern Munich-Sevilla Europa Super Cup clash
Meanwhile, UEFA had confirmed that Bayern Munich will play in front of fans in their upcoming UEFA Super Cup clash with Sevilla.
In the match that will be held at the 67,000-capacity Puskas Stadium in Budapest on September 24, UEFA will use it to try a partial return of supporters.
German outlet kicker suggested that the stadium could be filled up to 30 percent capacity. It further revealed that UEFA will provide both teams with a quota of 3,000 tickets each.
Bayern could be winning their fourth trophy in 2020 if they defeat Sevilla in the match. The Bavarians had completed a historic treble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League.
Sevilla, on the other hand, is capable of upsetting the odds, having beaten Inter 3-2 to win the Europa League.
