Life-sized cardboard cut-outs with photos of football fans are packing the stands of Borussia Moenchengladbach’s stadium ahead of their first home game since the Bundesliga was suspended because of the coronavirus.
Gladbach fans have ordered more than 12,000 of the £17 each cutouts to be placed in the stands for their first home fixture at Borussia Park against Bayer Leverkusen on May 23.
Their first game, however, will be an away fixture at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. The game is set to be crunch tie as they attempt to solidify their place in the Champions League, with Frankfurt just two points below them in fifth.
Gladbach will be hoping to bounce back from their last game, a 2-1 derby defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund on March 7.
The Bundesliga is the first major European league to get back underway and will be playing behind closed doors, with no more than 213 people, including players and staff, allowed to attend stadiums.
Gladbach supporters have been invited to upload photos of themselves and purchase a cardboard figure for £17 to be placed in the stands for their first home fixture at Borussia Park against Bayer Leverkusen on May 23
Gladbach’s first game will be an away fixture at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. The game is set to be crunch tie as they attempt to solidify their place in the Champions League, with Frankfurt just two points below them in fifth.
The Bundesliga is the first major European league to get back underway and will be playing behind closed doors, with no more than 213 people, including players and staff, allowed to attend stadiums
Life-size cardboard figures with the photos of football fans are positioned on the stands of the Borussia Moenchengladbach soccer stadium for the next game, which will be played without spectators, amid the coronavirus disease
Profits from the ‘Stay at home, be in the stands’ campaign, kickstarted by fans of the club, will be donated to local charities
Profits from the ‘Stay at home, be in the stands’ campaign, kickstarted by fans of the club, will be donated to local charities.
Gladbach fan representative Thomas Weinmann said: ‘The campaign organisers are regularly overrun with orders; we can hardly keep up trying to install them all. But we’re obviously delighted with the overwhelming support it’s received.’
Six games are set to take place at empty stadiums on Saturday, followed by another two on Sunday afternoon. British broadcaster BT Sport have announced that they will be showing every Bundesliga game for the rest of the season.
As the German league swings back into action, the country reported another 798 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking its total to 171,306, while the death toll rose by 101 to 7,634.
It has been one of the most successful countries in Europe at flattening its infection curve and today announced plans to reopen its borders with France, Switzerland and Austria by the middle of June.
So far more than 12,000 cardboard cutouts have been ordered by fans for Borussia Park, which has a capacity of 54,000.
Life-size cutouts of Gladbach fans positioned behind the goal at Borussia Park in Moenchengladbach, Germany
Gladbach fan representative Thomas Weinmann said: ‘The campaign organisers are regularly overrun with orders; we can hardly keep up trying to install them all. But we’re obviously delighted with the overwhelming support it’s received.’
Six games are set to take place at empty stadiums on Saturday, followed by another two on Sunday afternoon. British broadcaster BT Sport have announced that they will be showing every Bundesliga game for the rest of the season.
As the German league swings back into action, the country reported another 798 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking its total to 171,306, while the death toll rose by 101 to 7,634.
Patrick Herrmann in action during a training session of Borussia Moenchengladbach at Borussia-Park on May 11, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany
Nico Elvedi, Laszlo Benes, Yann Sommer and Stefan Lainer are seen during the Pre-Game Quarantine of Borussia Moenchengladbach at Borussia-Park on May 11