Bayern fans bored by Bundesliga dominance as empty seats appear at Allianz Arena | OneFootball

Despite a stellar season, some Bayern Munich diehards are now picking their matches, leaving occasional empty seats at the Allianz Arena.

According to L'Équipe, during the 8-1 win over Wolfsburg on 11 January, several dozen seats went unfilled, a rarity in Bavaria. The last non sell-out outside the pandemic was on 30 January 2007 against Bochum, when 64,000 attended from an authorised 69,000.

Freezing weather and gridlock around the 12,000-space car park are factors, yet among the club’s 410,000 members many point to fatigue with domestic dominance. After 18 rounds Bayern are 11 points clear of Borussia Dortmund and look on course for a 13th Meisterschale in 14 years.

The arena is officially sold out before a ball is kicked each season, but recent fixtures have shown pockets of empty seats. With a capacity of 75,000 and Vincent Kompany’s side playing eye-catching football, the trend still stands out.

Long-time fan Karl-Uwe says league games feel predictable and the real thrill now lies mainly in the Champions League. Anton, a near ever-present since 2005, links drifting interest to other German clubs’ lack of competitiveness. Former Bayern defender Markus Babbel also points to weak rivalry and a saturated schedule, noting a hardcore of ever-presents and a more occasional event crowd. Club officials at Säbenerstrasse are not alarmed, believing the lull owes more to a harsh winter than to the league’s appeal.

Source: L'Équipe