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BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Dortmund show title intent with first day romp

New-signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit a hat-trick as Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund kicked off their Bundesliga season with an emphatic 4-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday.

Published: 11 August 2013 12:49 CEST
Dortmund show title intent with first day romp

With defending champions Bayern Munich, under new coach Pep Guardiola, having already enjoyed a 3-1 win at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday, 24-year-old Gabon forward Aubameyang showed why Dortmund paid French Cup winners St Etienne 13 million euros (US$17.3m) for him.

He opened his account by heading home a Marcel Schmelzer cross from the left wing to put Dortmund ahead after 24 minutes.

Aubameyang celebrated with his trademark forward somersault, then doubled Dortmund’s advantage when he slipped his marker and fired home across the goal on 66 minutes.

The Gabon star then converted a great pass from Robert Lewandowski on 79 minutes to wrap up his hat-trick before the Poland striker converted a penalty in the dying stages.

South Korea striker Heung-Min Son also scored on his first competitive appearance for Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen in their 3-1 win at home to Freiburg.

Germany striker Stefan Kießling put the hosts ahead with 22 minutes gone, but Freiburg’s new signing Mike Hanke levelled just before the break.

Son restored Leverkusen’s lead just two minutes after the break when he fired home from close range after a final pass from Sidney Sam.

Germany midfielder Sam then converted Kießling’s cross to seal the win with 52 minutes gone, while Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno protected his side’s lead when he saved a 67th-minute penalty from Jonathan Schmid.

Hertha Berlin marked their return to the top-flight after a year’s absence with a 6-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Colombia striker Adrian Ramos and Tunisia forward Sami Allagui both scored twice in the hammering at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium while a first-half penalty from Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Alex Meier was all the guests could muster.

Hanover 96 enjoyed a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, who finished with nine men after both midfielder Maximilian Arnold and Swiss defender Timm Klose were sent off.

Arnold was shown a straight red card with just 32 minutes gone for a bad tackle on Hanover’s Tunisia defender Karim Haggui, while Klose was sent off seven minutes after the break for his second yellow card.

Hoffenheim were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Nürnberg. Newly-promoted Eintracht Braunschweig lost 0-1 to Werder Bremen in the evening game.

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EXPLAINED: The Covid rules for attending German football matches

The German Bundesliga kicks off on Friday evening with a match in Mönchengladbach. Here's a run-down of the Covid rules for football fans itching to join the crowds at the stadium.

Published: 13 August 2021 17:39 CEST
EXPLAINED: The Covid rules for attending German football matches
Crowds cheer at a match between FC Kaiserslautern and Borussia Mönchengladbach, on August 9th, 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uwe Anspach

All eyes will be on Mönchengladbach this evening as the Bundesliga season kicks off with a match against reigning champions Bayern Munich – and this time, a crowd will be present in the stadium.

READ ALSO: German football fans get green light to return to stadiums next season

With several states liberalising their rules for public gatherings in recent months, many football fans are looking forward to enjoying a lively atmosphere at football matches once more. 

There’s just one problem: there are different rules for different stadiums. Here’s what you need to know about the Covid rules before you book your ticket for any of the upcoming fixtures. 

How many fans are allowed in the stadiums? 

According to a recent decision by the federal and state governments, football stadiums around the country are allowed to fill half of their seats and sell up to 25,000 tickets to fans. 

Of course, how much this limit affects the overall atmosphere – and the football clubs’ bottoms lines – depends on the capacity of the stadium. In Borussia Dortmund this weekend, the full 25,000 tickets have been sold – but that only equates to 30 percent of the stadium’s full capacity.

READ ALSO: German football: Which Bundesliga club should I support?

Meanwhile, in the stadium owned by Berlin’s FC Union, selling just 11,000 tickets is enough to fill half of the available seats. 

What do I need to show to get in? 

That really depends on the stadium in question, although in general anyone over the age of six will need to show a negative test or proof of vaccination or recovery – the so-called ‘3G’ rule – to enter the grounds. But other clubs, such as FC Cologne, have decided to only permit people who are vaccinated or recovered to attend matches from August 28th onwards – with exceptions for people who can’t get vaccinated, like children and pregnant woman.

At Mönchengladbach’s Borussia Park stadium, however, unvaccinated fans can enter with a negative test, though visitors who’ve stayed in a high-risk or virus variant area over the past two weeks will be unable to enter – along with people who’ve had recent contact with someone who has Covid. 


If you want to see action like this at FC Cologne’s stadium, you’ll need to get your Covid jabs sorted first. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund has taken a middle ground. While the 3G rule applies in principle, only 1,000 of the available 25,000 tickets will be sold to people who are providing a negative test. The remaining 24,000 seats will only be available for those who are vaccinated against – or recently recovered from – Covid. 

If you’re not vaccinated and are keen to see a match, it’s worth checking on your local club’s website beforehand or sending them an email to double-check whether you will be allowed in. 

What else do I need to know about? 

You’ll need to bring a FPP2 mask with you to matches to wear in your seat and while heading to the bathroom or bar, and also observe social distancing rules – meaning staying 1.5 metres apart from your fellow fans.

In most states, you’ll also need to provide your contact details, which will be saved by the club and potentially passed on to local health authorities in order to monitor a potential Covid outbreak. 

Will these rules continue throughout the season?

That’s still an open question. If infection rates in Germany continue to rise or high-profile superspreading events occur at future matches, the government could potentially crack down further on sports events in autumn.

This could involve limiting the seat numbers even further, or (more controversially), introducing a ‘vaccinated-only’ rule for entering stadiums. 

READ ALSO: Should Germany bring in Covid restrictions for unvaccinated people only?

A recent outbreak of Covid in the Mainz football team has also dampened celebrations slightly in the run-up to the start of the Bundesliga – leaving club owners urgently calling for both fans and footballers to get vaccinated. 

Speaking to WDR ahead of the season’s start, FC Cologne’s managing director Alexander Wehrle said widespread vaccination was the best route back to normality – a message reiterated by Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann. 

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