Around 14,000 spectators should be able to attend the games at the European Football Championship in Munich. This was announced by Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) after a cabinet meeting on Friday and spoke of a stadium load of “up to 20 percent”.
“The European Football Championship is a special situation that we have,” explained Söder. The games in front of spectators could be viewed as a pilot project for further professional sport. The EM games would be accompanied by a strict hygiene and safety concept.
–
–
–
–
–
In the Munich arena in Fröttmaning, the three German preliminary round matches will take place at the European Championship from June 11th to July 11th. Joachim Löw’s team will face world champions France on June 15, defending champions Portugal on June 19 and outsiders Hungary on June 23. In addition, a quarter-finals are scheduled for July 2nd. According to the schedule, the DFB-Elf would only return to the knockout duel in Munich as third in the group.
The European Football Union (Uefa) had confirmed the Bavarian capital as co-host of the European Championship at the end of April, but the question of viewers remained controversial. The association demanded a guarantee from Munich that the games could be played in front of fans. The state government did not give this assurance at the time. “Everything is subject to the pandemic situation,” State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU) emphasized. In contrast to Munich, Bilbao and Dublin lost their EM host roles due to the lack of approval on the fan question.
In a so-called lead scenario, a minimum capacity of 14,500 spectators was classified as realistic for the state capital. Munich business games also ranged from ghost games to a maximum capacity of 27,000 fans. So now up to 14,000 visitors can come to the stadium. “The local authorities decide before the games whether spectators are allowed or not,” said Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin.
Bavaria’s Vice-Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) recently spoke out in favor of the scenario with around 15,000 EM spectators in the Allianz Arena in view of the falling corona numbers. “I am of the opinion that if every fifth seat is occupied and those have been tested beforehand, please go,” he said on BR television: “Then join the people, nothing helps!”
