Dortmund set to host fans for their Bundesliga opener as Covid-19 restrictions loosened

Borussia Dortmund‘s season-opening Bundesliga fixture at home to Borussia Monchengladbach is set to be played in front of around 10,000 supporters.

Bundesliga clubs have reportedly been given the green light for fans to return to stadiums for the start of the 2020-21 season in Germany amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2019-20 campaign resumed behind closed doors in May due to Covid-19, which forced the league to be postponed in March.

But with the new Bundesliga season scheduled to kick off on Friday, a trial is set to take place – up to 20 per cent of stadium capacity can be used, while strict hygiene requirements will be imposed, and alcohol banned.

Saturday’s home match against Borussia Mönchengladbach is set to be played in front of around 10,000 spectators!   pic.twitter.com/frpQnb3eIJ

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 15, 2020

Away fans will not be allowed to attend, though a game would be forced back behind closed doors if the infection rate in the home city is too high over a seven-day period.

Dortmund on Tuesday announced that a small crowd will be in attendance for Saturday’s showdown against Gladbach at Signal Iduna Park, where only Dortmund or North Rhine-Westphalia residents will be granted access.

“The Bundesliga teams, but also the clubs and associations of other sports, can be very happy today, and we definitely have this feeling at BVB,” said Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke in a statement.

“I would like to thank everyone in politics who contributed to today’s decision in the past few weeks. At the same time, I feel a great obligation that we as clubs, together with the fans involved, will handle this probationary period extremely responsibly in the coming weeks. The now approved partial re-admission of viewers is in any case a very important step for all football fans in Germany. “

Last season saw Dortmund finish second to rivals Bayern Munich, while Gladbach secured a top-four spot as they qualified for the Champions League.

Following their opening day fixture against Gladbach, Dortmund will have an away match against Augsburg on September 26 before meeting Bayern in the Supercup five days later.