Super Cup between Bayern and Sevilla a test for fans

The coronavirus testing tent arrange for Bayern Munich followers has a reassuring message on its wall: “Super Cup? Super Safe!” Not everybody sees it that manner.

This 12 months’s Super Cup is greater than only a ceremonial opener for the European soccer season. If UEFA has its manner, it’ll usher in a return for followers within the Champions League and Europa League, too.

But that entails supporters from Champions League winner Bayern Munich and Europa League champion Sevilla flying throughout Europe to play for a largely symbolic trophy on Thursday within the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

After a current rise in coronavirus circumstances throughout the continent, UEFA’s plan is coming underneath stress.

Some main German politicians worry the sport might unfold the coronavirus. Even the mayor of Budapest doesn’t need followers on the sport.

“If I had the legal possibility of deciding on this issue, the match for sure would be held behind closed doors,” Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony advised every day newspaper Nepszava for Wednesday’s version.

“But I don’t have the right, so the responsibility belongs to those that do.”

The determination on taking part in with followers rests with the Hungarian nationwide authorities headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a loyal soccer fan who has been keen to advertise his nation as an island of stability in the course of the coronavirus disaster.

Hungary has additionally helped out UEFA by serving as a impartial venue for Champions League and Europa League qualifiers hit by virus-related restrictions elsewhere.

A current surge in virus circumstances in Budapest, nevertheless, has put the capital on Germany’s official listing of high-risk areas. Bayern followers getting back from the sport must endure a coronavirus test and might be required to isolate, Bavarian governor Markus Söder stated Monday.

Bayern initially offered 2,100 tickets for the sport out of a doable 3,000 and supplied free coronavirus testing at its stadium. Hungarian authorities require anybody arriving to current a current detrimental test.

About 800 of these 2,100 followers returned their tickets after German authorities discouraged them from touring. Sevilla offered solely about 500 of its allocation, so many of the crowd of as much as 20,000 — 30% of stadium capability on the Puskas Arena — might be made up of native followers from Hungary.

UEFA’s determination to offer the golf equipment an allocation for touring followers is uncommon this season. No main European league permits away ticket gross sales for 2020-21. England and Spain each began with none followers. Germany permits golf equipment to have supporters of as much as 20% of capability.

An an infection spike in Munich compelled Bayern to play in an empty stadium towards Schalke final week, however they’ll nonetheless journey to Hungary for the Super Cup.

The Hungarian soccer federation has defended the choice to play the Super Cup with supporters.

“Thanks to the strict safety measures, during the match the Puskas Arena will be a safer location than any other place in the country or in all of Europe,” the federation stated in an announcement Wednesday.

Bayern flew into Budapest on Wednesday with a full squad, together with Leroy Sané, who might win his first trophy for the Munich membership, and Serge Gnabry, who scored a hat trick in Friday’s 8-Zero rout of Schalke.

Sevilla is taking part in its first aggressive sport of 2020-21 and can seemingly give a debut to Ivan Rakitic after the Croatian midfielder arrived from Barcelona on Sept. 1.