The Borussia Dortmund players are happy about the victory in the Revierderby. Picture: EPA
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The Bundesliga passes the first parole test – and is already dreaming of playing with fans
The Bundesliga passes the first parole test at restart. The protection concepts are adhered to, and so the politicians are already promising relaxation – with games with an audience from September?
The first of nine episodes of the experiment is over – and the Bundesliga made a good impression when it restarted after the Corona interruption. When Christian Seifert, the managing director of the German soccer league, said a few days ago that the Bundesliga was playing “on probation”, the German soccer elite had earned the next few days.
«The experiment was successful. It was a better start than expected, »praised Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder in the” Doppelpass “program on Sport 1.
Plans for games with fans after the summer break
Over the weekend, the first votes came from other federal states for further easing of the football scene soon. “After the summer break, we have to clarify whether there is less distance in the stadium because the infection rate is so low and there is a contact tracking app if an infected person was there,” said Lower Saxony Prime Minister Stephan Weil to Bild am Sunday”.
When are fans allowed back in the stadium? Image: AP
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His Saxon counterpart Michael Kretschmer also believes that limited visits to football games will be possible from September 1st. “Then the stadiums are not sold out, but there are games in front of the audience again.”
Hygiene regulations largely complied with
At least the first of nine game days, which were completely played with ghost games, has shown that football can perform the role model role it demands.
The TV channels transported pictures into the living room as politicians had asked for: balls that are regularly disinfected. Trainers who take great care not to leave the coaching zone. Substitute players sitting on the bleachers to comply with the distance rule. Or flash interviews, in which the moderators wear protective masks and the microphone is wrapped in plastic.
With distance and plastic film – there were also strict safety measures during the interview. Picture: EPA
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When celebrating the goal, the (most) players followed the rule. The Dortmund Erling Haaland swung his hips all by himself, the colleagues clapped him at a suitable distance. As in a rehearsed choreography, the BVB players spread over a relatively large area cheered the leadership goal against Schalke.
The Dortmund cheers after the 1-0 without physical contact. Image: AP
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The Hertha Berlin players took it a little less precisely with their three goals in Hoffenheim. Slapping, hugging, kissing. Goal scorer Vedad Ibisevic apologized for this and said it was “difficult to hide the emotions”.
Anyway: The prescribed isolated goal cheer looks a bit grotesque if the goal scorer frees himself from the opponent’s grasp before the goal, but then should not touch his teammates when cheering.
Vedad Ibisevic jumps to goal scorer Matheus Cunha. Image: AP
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“It was very, very special”
The spectacle offered in this atmosphere also had a surreal touch. «It was very, very special. You have no noise, you shoot at the goal, you make a top pass or a goal – and nothing happens. It’s difficult to judge how good the game was, »said Dortmund’s Swiss coach Lucien Favre after the 4-0 win in the derby against Schalke.
His boss Hans-Joachim Watzke said: “If you play against Schalke and drive through town, but nothing is going on, it takes some getting used to.”
This is what the participants think after the first games:
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Almost nothing new in sport
However, the Revierderby revealed that, although the circumstances were unfamiliar, the corona pandemic did not turn the German football world upside down – at least not for now, at least not athletically.
Most of the results were a continuation of a trend that started after the winter break between late January and early March. Dortmund had won four times in a row before the interruption and now won again. Schalke had not won seven times before and did not win again.
Herbstmeister RB Leipzig played only two draws at the beginning of March and now again against Freiburg. Eintracht Frankfurt lost three times in a row before the interruption and now suffered the next defeat. It was sporty as if there hadn’t been a two-month break. (dab / sda)
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