Fans in Germany paying to put cutouts of themselves in stands when soccer resumes
Practice has resumed for the top-level soccer teams in Germany, but the return of games is still undecided.
The Bundesliga, which is Germany’s first league, hoped to play games in May in empty stadiums but no firm date has been set. Germany’s government announced Wednesday it would have no large-scale events until Aug. 31, Goal.com reported.
When play resumes, there may not be fans in the stadium, but the seats won’t be empty at every venue. In Taiwan, baseball started up again with robot fans and mannequins in the stands.
Some fans of the German club Borussia Mönchengladbach are paying to have plastic cutouts of themselves put in the stands. The FPMG Supporters Club said fans who give $21 can put the cutouts in the stands.
“In the next few weeks, before the first game at home without fans, the FPMG will ensure that the characters sit or stand in their real places if desired,” the Mönchengladbach fan group wrote on its website.
Here’s a look at fans who are already in the stands weeks before the next game:
“We are the first club to ensure that the stadium gets a little ‘life’ and that fans are present, although in reality they have to watch the game at home,” the fan group wrote.
“We are also supporting two small companies in Mönchengladbach, which at the moment also had to close the shops. So no profit will be made, and when the “war is won” and we can all go back to the stadium, everyone can take their portrait home as a reminder of a memorable time. Before that, we also send everyone a photo of their ‘doppelganger’ in the stadium.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 8:58 AM.
