Borussia Dortmund said on Thursday this weekend’s home German Bundesliga clash with leaders Bayern Munich will be played in front of only 15,000 fans due to increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases.
Saturday’s game was under threat of being played behind closed doors as was the case for RB Leipzig’s win over Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.
Earlier on Thursday, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced large parts of public life in the country would be shut off to people who have not been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 in an attempt to clamp down on surging infection rates.
The agreement also includes new restrictions on large gatherings, which affects events such as football matches, and the closure of nightclubs in certain areas.
“Due to the current infection situation, the federal and state governments agreed at a digital conference on Thursday that attendance at stadiums will be limited to one third of the stadium’s overall capacity and no more than a maximum of 15,000 spectators,” Dortmund said.
“For Signal Iduna Park, Germany’s largest stadium with a capacity of 81,365, this means the maximum permitted capacity of 15,000 spectators will use up just 18.4% of the stadium’s overall capacity,” they added.
