Germany/stadiums: return of spectators in Bavaria with 25% capacities capped at 10,000 spectators

"The Bavarian (GER) state government today decided to relax spectator restrictions for sporting and cultural events from Thursday 27/01/2022," reported FC Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) on 25/01/2022.

Initially, the return of spectators will be limited to 25% of the capacity of each stadium, with a cap of 10,000 spectators, a limit that the Allianz Arena (75,000 capacity) will have to respect for Bayern's next home game versus RB Leipzig on Saturday 05/02/2022 (Matchday 21 of the Bundesliga).

The authorities in Bavaria - a region represented in the 2021-22 Bundesliga by Bayern, FC Augsburg 1907 and SpVgg Greuther Fürth - had imposed a total ban on stadiums since Matchday 14 of the German championship (beginning of December 2021) due to a sharp rise in the Omicron variant locally. This measure was then extended to almost all German stadiums when the Bundesliga resumed on 07/01/2022, although some were allowed to welcome a symbolic number of spectators (250 in Hoffenheim, 500 in Frankfurt and Freiburg, 2,000 in Berlin). On Matchdays 19 and 20, only the matches played in Bavaria were closed…