Bundesliga block ticket concept irk fans!

Article posted by Coliseum, September 25^th, 2020

Image: deinmg.de

The German professional football club Borussia Moenchengladbach’s match against German association football club Union Berlin on September 26^th, 2020, will be held in the presence of limited fans at the 59,724-capacity Borussia Park, the former’s residence at Mönchengladbach, Germany.

Though Germany has allowed 20 percent occupancy in any stadia of the country – barring Munich which registered a rise in coronavirus cases – the Borussia Park will more or less remain empty! Though 10,000 fans have been allowed, but tickets are still available.

It should have been a scenario of football buffs scrambling for tickets, but that is not the case. The reason being many fans of ‘The Foals’ are sulking over the whole ticket distribution system. It will not be a case of setting the tempo again with fans in tow.

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Borussia Moenchengladbach is a professional football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which plays in Bundesliga, the top flight of German football. Union Berlin is a professional German association football club based in Köpenick, Berlin (Germany).

Out of the 54,022 seats, 10,804 can be sold. But by Wednesday, only 9,200 tickets were sold.

Fans are disapproving the fact that they are not getting “normal” season ticket seats anymore and can only choose the block. This means that the match cannot be enjoyed in the company of friends and family members. This whole concept has not gone down well with the supporters and has failed to strike a chord with them. The fans are simply refusing to buy into the whole idea of block seating despite the grim COVID-19 scenario.

Stated one fan, “I don’t go to the stadium. The normal environment there has become like a small family. And if you’re not even allowed to sit with your partner, I don’t feel like it.”

Another fan stated, “My main motivation is actually to meet the people in the stadium again that you have had next to you for many years.”

Gladbach’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Stephan Schippers noted, “Many fans are hesitant, they may want to wait and see how the first game goes under these new circumstances.”

Justifying why fathers and sons have not been allowed to sit together, Schippers explained, “We decided on personalized individual seats in order to be able to document exactly who is sitting where. In the event of COVID-19 infection, we must be able to guarantee contact tracing.”

Schippers said that they wanted to leave nothing to chance and do not want at any cost that the Gladbach-Union Berlin fixture attribute for increased COVID-19 cases – “We are thinking ahead and want to return to 30 or 50 percent utilization soon. But, right after the first game we will sit down and see what we can do to make things better.”

German Supercup

As per reliable sources, the German Supercup between Bundesliga champions FC Bayern and runners-up Borussia Dortmund will take place on September 30^th, 2020, sans spectators at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

The reason ascribed is the so-called seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants, which is above the critical level of 35. The authorities in Munich, which, unlike in other Bundesliga locations, do not include the values of the surrounding districts in their calculation, but only use the value in the City of Munich as a basis. Hence, fans will not be allowed into the stadium fold.

The DFL-Supercup or German Super Cup is a one-off football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The DFL-Supercup is run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga.

The DFB-Pokal is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund. Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga.

Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany’s primary football competition.

As per DFL, the Bundesliga opening fixture at Munich – between FC Bayern Munich and professional German football and multisport club FC Schalke 04 on September 18^th, 2020 – could have taken place at Allianz Arena in front of 7,500 spectators had the COVID-19 infection index not climbed from 34 per 100,000 to nearly 48 overnight in the Bavarian capital. And the authorities became doubly careful keeping the ensuing German Supercup in mind.

The 58^th Bundesliga 2020-21 seasons began with eight-time defending champion Bayern Munich handing down a severe thrashing to Schalke 8-0 for a record in the league’s opening match. Schalke’s winless run stretched to 17 games, while Bayern extended its winning run to 22.

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