Fans aim to save atmosphere at Bundesliga closed door games

Only a few workers stand on the pitch of the empty stadium of German Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Moenchengladbach. All major events in Germany are suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak until the end of August, the German Bundesliga suspended all matches until April 30, 2020. Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Only a few workers stand on the pitch of the empty stadium of German Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Moenchengladbach. All major events in Germany are suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak until the end of August, the German Bundesliga suspended all matches until April 30, 2020. Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Published Apr 18, 2020

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BERLIN - What seemed unthinkable a few months ago could soon

become normal. If the Bundesliga season can resume amid the

coronavirus outbreak, matches will take place behind closed doors

until at least the end of August.

Players from local Rhine rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach and Cologne

have already tasted the closed door experience when they contested

the first Bundesliga match in such circumstances in early March. It

was strange...

"Without fans it is not the football we wish for," Gladbach coach

Marco Rose said after a 2-1 win while referee Deniz Aytekin said it

was "really quite different, scary."

Supporters and clubs are now working on creative ideas to at reduce

the sad sights of empty stadiums at least a little. How can some of

the traditional match atmosphere be saved?

CARDBOARD CUT-OUTS IN THE STANDS

The Gladbach players will not be without the faces of their fans

thanks to cardboard cut-outs. A fan project has allowed supporters to

print their face onto a template which will then be brought into the

stadium for matches. Organizers say more than 1,000 orders have

already been made.

CHOREOGRAPHY IN COLOGNE

Cologne supporters intend to fill their Rhine Energy Stadium with

choreographies, according the Bild newspaper. This is likely to take

the form of banners, flags and signs in a move coordinated between

fans and club.

ATMOSPHERE AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON

A fan-app hopes to maintain some atmosphere behind closed doors by

offering supporters different buttons to 'applaud' or 'cheer' at

games. Fans watching on television could use the app to transmit some

of their emotions to stadiums which would use their loudspeaker

systems to broadcast these to the players. The more fans who take

part, the louder the sound at the match. But when this will be ready

is unclear. While developers are in contact with a number of clubs,

there is no concrete plan for testing.

dpa

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