Hamburger SV

Monday 5th July 2021

HSV icon rages with success
Uwe Seeler escapes the stadium ban

In Hamburg, at the start of the 2nd Bundesliga, only spectators who can prove their primary residence in the Hanseatic city are allowed into the stadium. HSV legend Seeler lives a few kilometers outside the city, but is certain: Some fans in the Hamburg area have a longer journey.

HSV idol Uwe Seeler was successful with his appeal and prevented an impending stadium ban in the first second division home game of his Hamburger SV in the new football season. As the responsible district office Hamburg-Altona announced, the Corona edition announced last Friday, according to which only spectators with primary residence in Hamburg come to the Volksparkstadion for the second division match against Dynamo Dresden on August 1, will be canceled. “We discussed the situation with the responsible authorities again in detail and came to this conclusion,” confirmed Mike Schlink, the press spokesman for the Altona district office.

17,100 fans had been approved by the authorities for the game against Dresden. Now the rule is: Home fans are allowed to come, guest fans are still not allowed. This clears the way for HSV icon Seeler, who lives in Schleswig-Holstein on the outskirts of the Hanseatic city. “This is total nonsense and nonsense. I would very much like to go to the stadium. I am vaccinated and will keep my distance. This is a very strange decision,” the 84-year-old told the “Bild” newspaper. “I live only a few kilometers from the stadium. I think that some fans in the Hamburg area will have to travel further. The authorities should reconsider this decision,” said Seeler, who lives in Norderstedt.

HSV wanted to “not accept” the ban

And was heard. The HSV had also thought about an objection to these requirements, but no longer needs to take action. “We cannot and do not want to accept that. Our city limits are less than four kilometers from the Volksparkstadion and a large number of our supporters come from neighboring federal states,” said HSV board member Frank Wettstein. “Due to the already necessary contact tracking with personalized tickets and many other protective measures, we also see no additional benefit in terms of fighting pandemics.”

The Hamburg interior authority had made it clear before the U-turn that the Corona requirement had been raised by the responsible health department. “In the end we only give the approval,” it said. The authority headed by Interior and Sports Senator Andy Grote was in close contact with the responsible authorities to the end to clarify whether there was still room for maneuver. Now the decision was made in favor of the fans. The responsible authorities and the clubs had already agreed the week before that HSV and city rivals FC St. Pauli could play their home games with a stadium load of 30 percent at the start of the season.