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“If we don’t continue, the whole Bundesliga will drown”


Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke is currently not optimistic

Source: Keystone

No special position, but quickly back to gaming. Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke draws gloomy scenarios in the bid to get the German soccer Bundesliga back soon. Uli Hoeness also sees ghost games as necessary.

Watzke warns of a collapse of the whole system. “If we don’t continue playing football, the whole Bundesliga will drown,” he said in the program “Wontorra – alone at home” on Sky on Sunday. If you haven’t been able to play football for over a year, «the lights go out everywhere – even at BVB.»

Watzke considers the concept developed by the German Football League (DFL) to be impeccable. “If you reject our concept now, nothing will change in eight weeks,” Watzke called to the political decision-makers, who now have to give permission to resume the Bundesliga with ghost games. But politicians did not give encouragement this weekend for the hoped-for restart this weekend.



“Don’t expect too much”

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), who had recently announced a start on May 9, said “Focus online” with a view to the next round of Chancellor and Prime Minister on Thursday: “But I wouldn’t expect too much this time. It would make sense if we do an update next Thursday, but do not take any additional rash actions. » The Bundesliga must meet maximum hygiene requirements and can only “start on probation”, Söder emphasized.

Watzke may be right with his concept assessment “More is not possible”, but the 60-year-old should also be clear: acceptance among the general public and the proportionality between the inclusion of professional football and other measures are likely to play a significant role. If the contact restrictions are extended again on April 30, DFL and clubs, the best concept, should initially not help, since regular training could not even take place. So there is only patience between the safety concept and the promised insulation discipline.

A compulsion that brings some clubs into existential hardships as long as the TV funds for the nine outstanding match days cannot be scheduled. According to Werder Bremen, it already has to take on debts and, in the worst case, is expecting a loss of 40 million euros. Watzke also worries about these cases: “We know that solidarity is required. But if we want to distribute something, we have to take something again. »



Risk of possible fan gathering

Watzke added: “Everyone knows that if there are bankruptcies, the so-called White Knights also come and say we give you money, but you have to make sure that 50 + 1 falls.” The 50 + 1 rule is intended to prevent investors from taking the majority of votes in professional clubs.

There are many criticisms of the fast, spectator-free Bundesliga sequel: from individual politicians, fan organizations – and also from the police union (GdP), which warns of possible fan gatherings in front of the stadiums. “Ghost games are a danger, even if the organizer does everything in the stadium to ensure that hygiene regulations are observed in order to keep the risk of infection as low as possible,” said GdP Vice President Jörg Radek in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”.

If the stadium became a potential fan target, it would be “devastating,” added Radek. «During this pandemic, there must not be large crowds of people outside the stadium gates. Not only is that forbidden, it would be irresponsible. » At the only ghost game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Cologne so far, a meeting had taken place in front of the stadium – albeit in a phase in which a full stadium was still normal three days earlier.

Watzke said that he knew of no group that had announced something like this. “It is also not okay to put football under general suspicion.”

Hoeness also considers ghost games to be necessary

Uli Hoeness speaks out against the “kicker” for ghost games.

Picture: Keystone

Ex-Bavaria President Uli Hoeness sees the situation similar to Watzke. Although the 68-year-old is not a fan of ghost games, he considers them necessary in the current situation.

“Basically, I think ghost games are questionable. But given the economic situation of some clubs, they are vital and unconditional, ”Hoeness told the“ kicker ”. “The DFL is working very well in this crisis situation, as the negotiations with Sky show: This has created the necessary liquidity for some clubs.”

In order to prevent crowds of people from forming in individual apartments if the Bundesliga continues, top German football could be broadcast on public television.



Demand to ZDF and ARD

«I think Willi Lemke’s idea is very good because it could provide coverage even more – with Sky, however, an unencrypted broadcast is also possible – and soccer fans would not have to gather in a living room. This would reduce the risk of infection with the virus, »continued Hoeness.

The former Bayern boss, however, poses the question of who will ultimately pay for the broadcasting rights. In one way or another, clubs and players ultimately have to be paid.

«The public law would then have to pay accordingly. Because it cannot be that “Sky” spends a lot of money on the rights and that ARD and ZDF become free-riders. If the public service providers live up to their state mandate and actually want to entertain their citizens accordingly for their fees, they must participate in a broader transmission of football in this exceptional situation and compensate Sky accordingly. »

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