SPD health expert Lauterbach: “Full stadiums not acceptable”

The RheinEnergie Stadium, which was sold out with 50,000 spectators at the Rhenish derby between 1. FC Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach (4: 1) on Saturday, led to severe criticism from SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach due to the currently dangerous corona situation.

“I find it very problematic what we see in football. People do not get infected in the stadium, but the journey and the celebrations after the game are the sources of infection. Therefore, games in a full stadium are currently not acceptable,” said the 58-year-old the Picture on sunday.

The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder had also spoken out in favor of restricting capacities in the football arenas. “In any case, the number of viewers must be significantly reduced, and there must be a massive gap,” said the CSU politician in Sky-Interview emphasizes.

It is clear, “in football you can always argue that distance is possible in the stadium, but sitting next to each other is not a good signal. The arrival and departure is always a problem,” emphasized Söder.

The Sunday game between RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen (from 5.30 p.m. today in the live ticker) will be played as a ghost game due to the high incidence rates in Saxony. The second division game between Erzgebirge Aue and Darmstadt 98 (1: 2) on Saturday took place without an audience.

In Cologne, shortly before the start of the game, the health department ordered that a mask must also be required on the courts. Despite repeated requests from the stadium announcer, not all those watching did so by no means. The 2G rule applied in the stadium, and the tickets were personalized, which should make it easier to trace contacts.