No fans at Leipzig-Manchester City due to lockdown measures

Posted November 20, 2021 6:00 am

The Associated Press

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - Manchester City's Champions League game at Leipzig looks set to be played without fans next month due to soaring coronavirus infection rates in that part of Germany.

Saxony's government plans on Monday to exclude spectators from all professional sporting events through Dec. 12 in a bid to reduce infection rates across the state.

It means the Ski Jumping World Cup in Klingenthal Dec. 9-12 will take place without spectators, while soccer teams Leipzig, which plays in the Bundesliga, and second division Dynamo Dresden and Erzgebirge Aue will have to play their home games in empty stadiums.

Leipzig hosts Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 28, Manchester City on Dec. 7 and Borussia MÃ¶nchengladbach on Dec. 11.

Germany's disease control agency said Saturday that Saxony's 7-day rate of infections per 100,000 people is at 793.7, far above the national rate of 362.2.

Leipzig criticized the local government on Saturday, saying it does not understand how it 'œallowed this situation to come about in the first place. The highest infection rate of all federal states, combined with the lowest vaccination rate, is proof that politicians in Saxony have not yet managed to implement sound concepts to effectively control the pandemic.'ť

Leipzig's handball team is also affected by the new lockdown measures.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.