Bundesliga to remind players about rules after Hertha goal celebrations

Reuters , Tuesday 19 May 2020

Hertha
Hertha's Bosnian-Herzegovinian forward Vedad Ibisevic, left, and teammates celebrate the 1-0 as Hoffenheim's Austrian defender Stefan Posch looks on during the Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Hertha BSC Berlin in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)

Players in the Bundesliga will be reminded to respect social distancing rules after Hertha Berlin celebrated in the usual fashion in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Hoffenheim, the German league’s International Chief Executive Robert Klein has said.

Teams were ordered to avoid group celebrations as part of the health and safety regulations for the restart of the league over the weekend following the COVID-19 disruption.

Hertha’s Bosnian forward Vedad Ibisevic, who scored one of their goals, said after the win that players were not robots but Klein maintained the rules had to be followed.

“In the hygiene concept the guideline is to celebrate within social distancing rules,” Klein told reporters. “One can imagine at the height of a goal being scored that maybe, sometimes, the players get closer.

“The clubs are working actively with players. They speak to them every day to remind them of what needs to be done to ensure we earn the right to a second matchday and a third and to finish the season.”

Earlier this month, Hertha suspended Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou after he posted a video on social media showing himself and team mates shaking hands and displaying a casual approach to COVID-19 guidelines.

The club had said in a statement that “this was the conduct of a single player” and denied that the squad did not take social distancing and hygiene rules seriously.

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