September 14,2020

Anna Murray 

On September 13th, an amateur German football team, SG Ripdorf/Molzen, only had 7 players taking part in the match and lost the game with a 37-0 score, as the team were afraid of getting infected with Covid-19.

Ripdorf’s competitor, SV Holdenstedt II, contacted someone whose test was positive for Covid-19 during its previous game, though Holdenstedt tested negative. Ripdorf still felt unsafe for the condition as the time hadn't passed the 14-day incubation period and applied to postpone the game - the 11th tier of German football, while the application was turned down. 

To avoid paying the €200 fine, the seven Ripdorf players volunteered to play the game while keeping two meters distance from the Holdenstedt team, who notched a goal nearly every two or three minutes.
The Ripdorf team was highly discussed on social media and received abundant opinions and suggestions. Ripdorf co-chairman Patrick Ristow hoped they could find a better way, together with their opponent, to put off the game next time. 

Photo:Webshot.