FC Bayern fans shut out of the Allianz for another six weeks
The ongoing story of when local supporters will be permitted to watch Germany's most successful football club takes another turn.
A local edict looks to keep fans out of Bayern home matches for another six weeks. The city of Munich ruled out allowing any live spectators though the Allianz Arena turnstiles until November 21st.
A local edict looks to keep fans out of Bayern home matches for another six weeks. The city of Munich ruled out allowing any live spectators though the Allianz Arena turnstiles until November 21st.
After a delayed DFB Pokal match on October 15th, a Champions League fixture against Athletico Madrid on October 21st, and a Bundesliga match against Eintract Frankfurt on October 24th, FC Bayern München have no more home games on the schedule until November 21st. A emphatic "no" on the three remaining games thus bars fans from the arena for six weeks.
The "irritating short-notice" cancelations Reiter referenced actually referred to the second and third tier games scheduled for other Munich clubs 1860 München, Türkgücü München, and FC Bayern II. Türkgücü and 1860 were set to receive fans this weekend when the seven-day-average new infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants stood at 32.5 on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the rate rose to 42.4 on Friday.
Public events in the Bundesrepublik remain governed by the critical RKI COVID data-driven automatic stabilizer. The critical number of 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants determines whether or not plans for public gatherings can proceed. A number below 35 allows for a green light while anything above 35 triggers a red flag.
Since infections in Munich have hovered so close to the line over the past two months, Reiter determined that making plans around the number would lead to too many reversals. Thus far, only one prominent German footballing official has dared to criticize the federal-level standards.
Supporters of Munich's smaller clubs may still hope to watch their teams' fixtures live far sooner that late November. A domestic German audience will nevertheless not be permitted to check out the German giants until the 2020/21 Bundesliga's 8th round.
