BERLIN – Football games behind closed doors are the last thing
clubs and fans want but in these days of the coronavirus there
appears to be agreement they are needed to help clubs survive.
And former German Football League (DFL) managing director Andreas
Rettich has even suggested such "ghost games," as they are called in
the country, "could contribute to the diversion and thus to the
well-being of people."
The 36 Bundesliga and second division clubs of the DFL come together
on Tuesday for an emergency assembly to discuss the options, with
play now suspended for a fortnight, at least until April 30, and
possibly beyond.
No one knows whether the season can be completed at all amid the
pandemic and strict government lockdown rules - with nine Bundesliga
rounds still to be played, and the German cup at the semi-final
stage.
And while clubs and fans were more than unhappy with some games
behind closed doors before the shut down, the mood is changing,
mainly for financial reasons.
Failing to complete the league season would cost clubs some 750
million euros (835 million euros) and put the existence of several of
them in severe danger. Being able to play on at some stage would
cushion the impact considerably.
"If that's the only way to save clubs, you have to accept it
gratefully," RB Leipzig midfielder Kevin Kampl told Monday's edition
of Kicker sports magazine.
"Sure it's not nice for the fans, but I think that they will
understand and will endure having to watch a few games from home."
Leipzig sports director Markus Kroesche said last week such matches
"can not be prevented" because all major European leagues aim to
complete their seasons and it was "secondary in this context" whether
fans were at the game or not.
VfB Stuttgart president Claus Vogt told Monday's Bild paper that nort
being able to complete the season would create "existential problems"
for his club and others.
Players and officials have already agreed to wage freezes or cuts,
and the four German Champions League teams Bayern Munich, Borussia
Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have created a solidarity fund
of 20 million euros for the DFL to distribute.
Clubs will suffer even if the season can be played this way as for
many of them ticket sales are also a big source of income.
According to the Sport Bild website Monday, champions Bayern Munich,
who have a minimum six home games left, would lose at least 16.2
million euros, Borussia Dortmund up to 15 million eurs, and even a
small club like Union Berlin or Freiburg 4 and 3.2 million euros,
respectively.
Rettich, in a Kicker column Monday, acknowledges that football is the
least the government has on its mind at the moment - despite being
the employer of some 55,000 people and a turnover of some 5 billion
euros.
But he insisted that the world's most popular sport could still
contribute with its feel-good factor for the population, even if the
fans remain barred from the stadiums.
"It gains in importance every day due to the current contact ban and
the social isolation that comes with it," Rettich said.