Just a quick thing on #coronavirus football attendances in Germany as I’m seeing a LOT of inaccurate reporting following today’s Boris announcements... (quick thread)

YES the #Bundesliga has obtained an exemption to the ban on mass events to allow UP TO 20% of stadium capacity for matches. And YES that happened last weekend. BUT some crucial caveats:

1. The 20% threshold is the absolute maximum. Many clubs are choosing to lower these capacities to ensure safe social distancing (eg. BVB on Saturday had only 9,300 fans when they were permitted up to almost 15,000)

2. Every single game is individually subject to city/state approval, which in turn is only granted if infections over the past 7 days in the stadium’s town/city are below 35 per 100,000 inhabitants

3. Both Bayern Munich and FC Cologne’s games had their permission for fans revoked LESS than 24 hours before kick-off when the respective cities’ infection rates reached critical rates. No notice, no discussion, authorities decision final.

4. The whole project is a PILOT. It will be reviewed in 6 weeks’ time. Given that the overall trend in #coronavirus cases is rising (albeit nowhere near UK levels), it’s entirely possible the scheme may be paused after those 6 weeks (or even before should conditions deteriorate)

5. Final point (which I know I’ve made before but still...): Germany has a federal system. State govts have almost as much power as the national one and situations vary hugely from state to state. So be aware: blanket referencing of restrictions in “Germany” is rarely accurate