German football team lose 37-0 practising social distancing during match

SG Ripdorf/Molzen II put up no fight after Holdenstedt players had been in contact with an opponent infected with Covid-19 in a previous match

Holdenstedt showed no mercy against their rivals (PA)

German amateur side SG Ripdorf/Molzen II sacrificed a tight defence for social distancing as they fielded only seven players as a coronavirus precaution in a 37-0 loss to local rivals SV Holdenstedt II.

The preparations for Sunday’s match in Lower Saxony’s 3. Kreisklasse – the 11th tier of German football – were complicated when it emerged that Holdenstedt players had been in contact with an opponent infected with Covid-19 in a previous match.

While all members of the Holdenstedt squad later tested negative for the virus, Ripdorf, from Uelzen in Lower Saxony, did not feel the conditions were safe and were able to field only seven players – the minimum number required for a match.

“We are thankful those seven players volunteered, otherwise the club would have faced a 200-euro fine for abandoning the match,” Ripdorf co-chair Patrick Ristow told ESPN. “That’s a lot of money for us, especially amid the pandemic.”

Holdenstedt showed no mercy and scored a goal nearly every two minutes, while their opponents watched on from a safe distance.

“When the game kicked off, one of our players passed the ball to the opponent and our team walked to the sidelines,” Ristow said.

“The Holdenstedt players did not understand. But we did not want to risk anything. For the rest of the match, our players returned to the field but they only stood on the pitch.”

Reuters