COVID-19 has resurfaced again in Germany and Munich is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus infections. As coronavirus stares Munich in the face, the authorities in the Bavarian capital has decided that all soccer games in Munich’s stadia will be played behind closed doors and spectators’ entry is a strict ‘no’. The regulation will be in place till October 25th, 2020.
Munich’s Mayor Dieter Reiter took the decision to ban the entry of spectators into venues – “It is now up to all of us to keep the incidence of infection in our City under control.”
As per current hygiene rules, the local rate of infection must be below 35 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 before fans can return to venues. But, the figure in Munich jumped from 36.45 to 42.4 on October 9th.
The above decision translates into the fact that Champions League holders Bayern Munich must start the defence of their European title behind closed doors.
The German professional sports club Bayern Munich will host the Spanish professional football club Atlético Madrid on October 21st in their opening Champions’ League group match. However, the terraces at the Allianz Arena in Munich – Bayern Munich’s residence – must remain empty.
Bayern’s German Cup match against fifth-tier minnows FC Düren – a soccer club from Düren (Germany) – on October 15th and home league game against the German professional sports club Eintracht Frankfurt (based in Frankfurt) on October 24th will also be held sans spectators.
In Germany, small numbers of fans have been allowed into stadia this season with exact crowd figures decided by the local health authorities. However, the City of Munich has still not greenlighted the entry of supporters into arenas.
The ticket sales for the above games stands canceled.
Bayern Munich’s next Bundesliga home game in Allianz Arena would be against German professional sports club SV Werder Bremen (based in Bremen, Germany) on November 21st. If the coronavirus situation improves till then, the fixture will be held in the presence of fans.
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