DFL: Season break not an issue

Despite the rapidly increasing number of corona infections, the DFL is not thinking of interrupting the season. “Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, the coordinated line of all 36 clubs has always been to act on the basis of state requirements. A self-imposed, comprehensive lockdown in the sense of a season break is therefore not an issue,” said the DFL on Wednesday morning.

Due to the pandemic development and the tightened measures, President Helge Leonhardt had asked the Saxon second division club Erzgebirge Aue to interrupt the season in professional football.

“We need a football lockdown by the end of December. The next four weeks will be extremely difficult for our country and will be an acid test,” Leonhardt told the Bild newspaper.

“In such a tense situation football should live up to its role as a role model and stop the game immediately for reasons of reason, solidarity and role model effect,” he demanded: “That would be my wish and my request to the DFL and the prime ministers of the federal states.” The number of infections is particularly high in the Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony.

Leonhardt sees a distortion of competition because in Saxony no spectators will be admitted to professional sport in the next few weeks.

Corona: Maximum 25 percent occupancy in Bavaria

In Bavaria, a maximum of 25 percent of the stadium capacity can be used. “On the other hand, the stadiums in other regions are partially sold out. This is no longer fair competition and also creates new economic difficulties for the clubs that have to play in front of empty stands,” said the Aue boss.

His suggestion is: “The ball will be idle until the end of December, but you can still train under the 3G rule. From January, the game should be continued, the games will then be made up in several English weeks. But not in front of empty stands, but uniformly again with fans. The fans are part of football. “