Supporters of RB Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur will be allowed to attend the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie, authorities in the German city announced on Monday, despite the coronavirus outbreak.
“This decision applies for this match only,” Leipzig city spokesman Matthias Hasberg told SID, an AFP subsidiary.
Leipzig host Spurs at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday with a 1-0 lead from the first leg last month.
The city explained the decision by saying that England is “not a high-risk area” for the virus while match tickets are “personalised” and easily traceable – minimising the risk of contagion.
The Saxony region has up to now been left largely untouched by the outbreak of COVID-19, with 10 cases of the 1,112 recorded in Germany according to official figures released on Monday morning.
This decision however goes against the recommendation of the country’s health minister Jens Spahn, who on Sunday requested that all events with more than 1,000 people be cancelled “until further notice”.
The news comes after police in Paris ordered Paris Saint-Germain’s match with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday to be played behind closed doors, with the Ligue 1 champions looking to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit.
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