RB Leipzig must keep the stadium closed for the next three home games, according to politics in the state of Saxony. The infection figures are rising fast in Germany, which has led to the Bundesliga club being imposed special measures. The decision will keep the Red Bull Arena closed against Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga and against Manchester City in the Champions League.
“The situation in Germany, but especially in Saxony, is serious,” Leipzig said on the club’s website. “We are very concerned about the high number of infections and the high occupancy of hospital beds. We therefore accept and respect the new legal situation, because we understand that everything must now be done to stop the further increase in corona infections. The highest infection rates, combined with the lowest vaccination rate, proves that politics in Saxony have failed to contain the pandemic.”
Leipzig fears for the financial consequences, as three duels without a home crowd means a big blow to the current number five in the Bundesliga. “In addition to the hard-working people in nursing professions and medical practices, clinics, hospitals and health authorities, other organizations are also suffering from this situation. We are being brought into economic difficulties through no fault of our own,” it said. “The now decided lockdown has different consequences for the club. We will have to play without fans again, after we had hoped to put that behind us. After the past few weeks, that does not make it any easier for the team emotionally.”
Finally, the club speaks of a distortion of competition, as Leipzig is the only club at the highest level that has to close its doors in the coming weeks. “So we can only hope that this new situation will quickly lead to a significant reduction in R-value, so that we can return to normality as soon as possible after the corona pandemic.” The German news agency Reuters Don’t rule out Germany going into lockdown again soon. Austria will also be closed for ten days from Monday. In addition, the country will introduce a vaccination obligation from February.