Dear BVB-Fans,

The political decisions taken on Wednesday afternoon to stem the Coronavirus crisis mean that the all-important continuation of professional sport in Germany can only be maintained on the condition that all events take place behind closed doors throughout November.

This decision has hit us hard. Above all on an emotional level, as there is nothing we at BVB love more than playing football for our fans. But also because of the reasoning behind it; after all, we worked with experts to develop and implement an elaborate and detailed hygiene concept which received praise from health boards and local authorities. Every supporter behaved with discipline in our stadium, no-one became infected in the fresh air. Professional football is demonstrably not a driver of the pandemic. And to be honest about it, no-one sees this differently. In light of this situation, it’s hard to accept that the facts don’t count.

But we will do exactly what is asked of us in November: accept the situation as it is and continue to do our small part to flatten the curve of infections.

The explosive increase in cases in Germany demands that we all look beyond our own interests and don't fall into the trap of expecting that politicians will be able to fully satisfy every industry and every person. We at BVB accept the regulations for November and, as we did earlier in the year, will look to support all those who have been hit harder than us - considerably so in many cases - and who now need our support: amateur clubs, the hospitality sector, small businesses and all those who now find themselves in a difficult situation through no fault of their own.

We would like to send two messages to the BVB family going into November. Firstly, please know that nothing hurts us more than being without you. Because without you, there is no ''us''!h Secondly, we hope that we can all get through this difficult time together; that we will look after ourselves and our neighbours; that we will keep our distance; wear masks; avoid crowds, refrain from private gatherings, and, finally, that we can tackle this virus as if it were an opposing striker bearing down on our goal. We're counting on you, Borussia fans!

Your BVB