Covid-19 has wrought havoc across the world and, unsurprisingly, football has not escaped the effects of the outbreak. [Photo: Courtesy]
Football is one of the most popular sporting disciplines and is adored by billions of people all over the world.
Recently in the UEFA Champions League staged in Portugal, we witnessed a demolition (Barcelona 2-8 Bayern Munich) that will forever remain in our memories.
Barcelona’s demolition is an understatement after German amateur side SG Ripdorf/Molzen II were beaten to a pulp in a 37-0 loss to local rivals SV Holdenstedt II on Thursday.
According to Reuters, SG Ripdorf/Molzen II sacrificed a tight defence for social distancing as they fielded only seven players as a Covid-19 precaution.
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The preparations for Sunday's match in Lower Saxony's 3. Kreisklasse were complicated when it emerged that Holdenstedt players had been in contact with an opponent infected with the virus in a previous match.
The players tested negative but Ripdorf felt it was unsafe and fielded only seven players - the minimum number required for a match according to FIFA rules.
"We are thankful those seven players volunteered, otherwise the club would have faced a 200 euros (Sh26,000) fine for abandoning the match. That's a lot of money for us, especially amid the pandemic,” Ripdorf’s Patrick Ristow told ESPN.
Ristow, however, explained the shocking 37-0 scoreline in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"When the game kicked off, one of our players passed the ball to the opponent and our team walked to the sidelines.
"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.
"There is no perfect solution for it. And we went down this route. We wished Holdenstedt no harm,” said Ristow.
???????????????? https://t.co/yZ4pPeuyH1#Germania, in Bassa Sassonia una squadra amatoriale perde 37-0… per paura di prendersi il #Covid19!
Il match SV Holdenstedt II SG Ripdorf lo scorso fine settimana. Il Ripdorf ha mantenuto le distanze sociali durante l’incontro per sicurezza pic.twitter.com/h2QDf02zsp— Davide Capano (@davide_capano) September 17, 2020
