64 Days! 64 Long Days without football was a tough one. However, the wait for the footballing action to resume was over on Saturday (17 May) with the restart of the German Football League; Bundesliga. The game played between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 was a different one but surely laid down an impression of what football is going to look like for next one year or so.
There was a series of mixed emotions that was received from the fans and club officials amid the return of football in Germany. While many believed that it is better to have a game behind closed doors than not having any football action, on the other hand there were a few who were disappointed and expressed their anger over ‘Ghost Games’.
There are a lot of talking points about the game after the first week of resumption of football in Europe Elite Division.
1. Fans
The games are scheduled to play without fans which is even being termed as ‘Ghost Games’ at some places. There was a strict guideline issued by the German Football League Federation wherein it was clearly mentioned that the game will be abandoned if the fans turn up around the stadium.
The decision has been taken by keeping in mind the safety of every stakeholder of the game but many would disagree with the same. Germany has been a country which enjoys the highest average attendance in a football game in Europe and the fans are definitely suffering due to the guidelines issued. There are thousands of fans who are waiting for things to get normal so that they could get a chance for a trip to their pilgrimage. Teams like Dortmund might feel a little low without fans as they have an incredible record at home.
There are even some protest banners out on the streets of Germany wherein the fans are totally against the concept of ‘Games Behind Closed Doors’, however these protests are being countered by the experts who believe that it is better to have football than no action at all.
The game without fans is definitely not the same. Even if you watch it on TV, the chants of the crowd are an integral part of it. The atmosphere is a different one. The reception what the home team gets and the pressure what the away team feels is something remarkable. The applause and boos are things that make the game complete. But for the time being we should feel lucky enough to have the footballing action back.
2. Broadcasting and Television
The Bundesliga games were televised by more than 70 broadcasters all over the world. The officials had expected to have a great response by the fans and they were not left disappointed as it attracted more than six million viewers, setting a new record for broadcasters Sky.
There were rumours earlier that the broadcasters are planning for innovations and stuff to make the game as realistic as they can for the viewers on television. They have planned to give fake crowd noises which will help the fans to give the atmosphere what they usually get.
We get an outline that the coming months of football is going to be a good one for armchair fans (one who watches on TV or online) but definitely a disappointing one for the fans who travel to the stadiums to watch their favourites play.
3. Matches and Players
There were a lot of unique things that we witnessed during the restart of football. The footballs were disinfected and sanitized at regular intervals during the game.
We even witnessed an unusual scene at the touchline. The substitutes were sitting by following social distance protocols.
The old school celebrations, hugs and handshakes might become things of the past for the next few months and we might see some new innovative celebrations by the players in the coming days. We saw one by Erling Haaland and his Dortmund teammates on their course to 4-0 victory over their local rivals. We will even see elbow bumps becoming too common as they are even called the new handshakes.
There will be a totally different experience for the players to play in these Ghost Games. The players do not have to go through the reception of fans which they usually get in normal games. The home teams enjoy a fair bit of advantage just because of the atmosphere created by the fans.
But as a fan it is a time wherein we can enjoy every word spoken by players on the pitch plus we can hear every instruction shouted by the managers on the touchline. For players, it can take them back to their school days wherein they used to play football without any spectators in the ground.
With one of the top most football leagues of Europe underway, we should be positive that we can witness a full time football action soon. With French and Dutch League already scrapped, everyone has their eyes on the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. There is some very positive news coming from these leagues as the boards have permitted the teams to train. With some Champions League action remaining it will be a challenge for UEFA to organise the same.
It is rightly said, “Football lives through its fans” and the game lacks some excitement without any spectator in the ground, but for the moment it lies in everyone’s interest that we have games behind closed doors. We should find ourselves lucky enough as we have some action to witness. The restart of the football action definitely sends a positive note to other sports federations and gradually we might see different sports coming back to track.
- Kshitij
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