This archive report was first published on 17 May 2020.
On May 16, 2020, the German Bundesliga made history by becoming the first major European league to resume playing after a two-month coronavirus lockdown.
Matches were played behind closed doors, with goal celebrations banned and benches observing social distancing.
Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke described the atmosphere as 'surreal,' saying, 'There is something surreal about it. In the two hours before the match, you receive text messages from all over the world, people who tell you that they are going to watch the match on TV, and then you drive through your city and there is absolutely nothing happening.'
Dortmund coach Lucien Favre echoed Watzke's sentiments, saying, 'There is no noise, you shoot at the goal, you make a great pass, you score, and nothing happens, it's very, very weird.'
Despite the unusual circumstances, Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki remained optimistic, saying, 'We had many conversations before hand and knew that it was actually nothing more than like the games we used to play as children: without anyone watching and just having fun.'
Long-standing Dortmund supporter Marco Perz emphasized the importance of the season restarting, saying, 'Not necessarily for the players, who may have to buy one less Lamborghini, but for the economy that depends on it — the coaches, ground staff, fan shops.'
Freiburg coach Christian Streich reflected on the experience, saying, 'For us the situation is not really new. We have already been training in empty stadiums. Also as a coach, I have trained youth teams in the past and I always heard myself shouting.'
Freiburg midfielder Robin Koch added, 'It wasn’t easy without the same push that you usually get when 50,000 are in the stands. You have to somehow motivate yourself when you come into an empty stadium.'
Uwe Rosler, the coach of Duesseldorf, shared his own experience, saying, 'The day was a bit odd. I am an emotional man, I like to take a player in my arms, which I obviously couldn’t do today.'
Hertha Berlin coach Bruno Labbadia was more lighthearted, saying, 'If you can’t celebrate anymore, then something else has broken. I’m just glad that the team had reason to cheer today.'
And in a humorous take, parody Twitter account @GalacticKeegan joked, 'I remember when I was at Hamburg, I played in an empty stadium – it didn’t put me off, I bagged twenty goals in as many minutes.'
