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.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen stayed in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Budesliga after two goals by striker Kai Havertz as well as one each by Mitchell Weiser and Kerem Demirbay helped them to a 4-1 win at struggling Werder Bremen on Monday.
The result left Bayer fifth on 50 points from 26 games, one behind fourth-placed Leipzig and eight adrift of leaders Bayern Munich. Werder, who suffered a record-extending seventh straight home defeat, stayed 17th on 18 points from 25 matches.
With no spectators present in the stadium as part of the COVID-19 precautions, the game descended into a lull before a frantic five-minute spell produced three goals midway through the first half.
Havertz fired Leverkusen ahead in the 28th minute when he rose above his marker at the far post and headed past keeper Jiri Pavlenka after a darting run and cross by Moussa Diaby. Theodor Gebre Selassie levelled two minutes later with a cheeky back-heel from six metres after Leonardo Bittencourt swung in a corner, but more slack defending by Bremen allowed the visitors to nose ahead again in the 33rd minute.
Havertz was left completely unmarked to head home from eight metres after Kerem Demirbay floated in an inch-perfect free kick and Bremen fell apart in the second half as the visitors carved them open almost at will.
Defender Weiser made it 3-1 in the 61st minute when he powered in a close-range header after another fine assist by the lively Diaby and Leverkusen missed several chances before Demirbay sealed the rout.
Substitute Karim Bellarabi waltzed his way through a static home defence before he released Demirbay with a clever pass which left the latter with a simple task of beating Pavlenka with a dinked finish.
