Psychiatrist says football ‘ghost games’ would have great benefits
Renowned Austrian psychiatrist Reinhard Haller has backed a proposal for football games to go ahead without spectators, saying it would be good for players’ health and fans’ morale during the coronavirus pandemic.
Haller said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Thursday that he does not like the term “ghost games,” which has been widely used.
“Who are the ghosts? The football players, the non-existent spectators or something that hovers over the empty stadium?” he said to the German newspaper.
However, he also said the option is a good one in light of current circumstances.
“Of course it would be better if the psychology of the masses, the full stadium, were added. But in terms of emotional needs, even a game without spectators can do a lot,” Haller said.
The 68-year-old psychiatrist and consultant explained that a high level of aggression and frustration had built up in people during the coronavirus pandemic.
He said the ghost games would be a healthy way for players and fans to burn energy and channel their high emotions.
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Testing of closed-door matches in the Bundesliga and the second division is to start on Thursday, German football magazine Kicker reported.
Also on Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to chair a meeting with state premiers, where Bundesliga ghost games will be on the agenda. (dpa)
