This archive report was first published on 16 May 2020.
With the Bundesliga set to restart on Saturday after a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, fans are facing a difficult decision: stay home or risk their health by attending matches in empty stadiums.
Nicole Bartelt, a 44-year-old Borussia Dortmund fan, has been attending matches since 2008, but she's not complaining about the 'ghost games'.
'It's better to have 'ghost games' to slow the epidemic than to have a health catastrophe,' she told AFP.
Marco Perz, a 45-year-old fan who has been attending Dortmund matches since 1987, shares Bartelt's sentiment.
'It's sad that matches are played in empty stadiums, but it's better than nothing - the more we keep to health rules, the sooner we can return to normality,' said Perz.
As the city centre remains quiet, police have sent out repeated appeals on Twitter, urging fans to stay home and enjoy the game.
With social distancing rules in place, people are required to stand 1.5 metres apart to avoid contagion of the virus.
Outside the stadium, the atmosphere is markedly calm, with only the occasional cyclists and people out for a stroll visible.
