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In preparation for the Extraordinary Members Assembly of the DFL this coming Wednesday (July 14), the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga has sent a draft of the medical and hygiene-related occupational health and safety concept of the DFL and DFB for the 2021-22 season to the clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. The object is to ensure the occupational health and safety of workers involved in the staging of matches and their media coverage. The concept, which the Sports Medicine / Special Match Operations Task Force was once again instrumental in designing, should therefore be viewed independently of the stadium-specific concepts developed by the individual clubs for a return of fans to stadiums.
The medical and hygiene-related concept is to serve as a basis for necessary protection against infection and hygiene standards for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 within the purview of the DFL and for the DFB-Pokal, men’s 3. Liga and FLYERALARM Frauen-Bundesliga within that of the DFB. It is a refinement of the concept that formed the basis for match operations last season. However, instead of basing measures and the sizes of groups of people on incidence values, the contents will take the progress of immunisation across Germany into account in future. Against this background, people who work in the stadium will gain admission only if they have ‘GGG status’, meaning that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (German: Geimpft), have recovered from it (German: Genesen) or have taken a test for COVID-19 and received a negative result (German: Getestet), and can provide corresponding evidence.
For players, managers and coaches who have not been vaccinated or have not already had and recovered from the virus, further regular testing is intended. In addition, the concept includes guidelines for contact situations between those who have been vaccinated or have recovered and people who do not have a suitable level of protection yet. There are also provisions for logistical and organisational aspects with respect to zone 1 (stadium interior), zone 2 (special area in the stands) and zone 3 (TV compound) within the stadium as well as for media production. As an employer, customer and organiser/host of the individual matches, the home clubs bear the responsibility for implementing the measures of the concept in each case, which is to be fixed by statute through a resolution of the Executive Committee of the DFL before the season begins.
Individual concepts of the clubs for the return of fans
In contrast to the concept from the Sports Medicine / Special Match Operations Task Force that aims to ensure occupational health and safety for the workers concerned, the stadium-specific safety and hygiene concepts of the clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 for hosting a football match as a major event also include provisions for a return of fans to stadiums.
These individual concepts developed by the clubs are therefore coordinated with the local health authorities in charge and require their approval. At the same time, following consultation with the local authorities, each club decides on the contents of its concept to enable the return of fans to stadiums for itself. Although the respective coronavirus-related health protection ordinances of the federal states largely set out uniform regulations in this regard that are valid until September 11, 2021 after the most recent resolution of the heads of state and senate chancelleries of July 6, 2021, the individual concepts of the clubs take the respective location-specific conditions into account. These include the infrastructure at the stadiums in question and arrival and departure routes, which are different for each stadium, as well as the applicable orders from the authorities. In this respect, it is not possible to have a uniform nationwide concept for a return of fans to stadiums.
The plan is for the Extraordinary Members Assembly of the DFL to discuss a common approach only in relation to a single aspect: After a request was made from within the ranks of the clubs to consider a possible uniform approach in this regard, the 36 professional clubs will discuss in an open and unbiased way whether there should initially be a blanket suspension of the sale of tickets to away fans for matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in view of the restrictions on capacity for spectators. The matter will then be put to a vote.
Looking ahead to the matches of the coming season, the clubs will also decide on the number of substitutions permitted in each game during the meeting in Frankfurt. Last season, each team was permitted to make five substitutions per match in both leagues. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is responsible for the rules of the game, has approved the possibility of such an adjustment to the permitted number of substitutions for the 2021-22 season as well.
