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Freiburg banned from staging night matches at new stadium

German Bundesliga football club SC Freiburg’s under-construction stadium will not be able to stage night fixtures or Sunday-afternoon matches between 1pm and 3pm amid concerns over noise, a local court has ruled.

German newspaper Der Spiegel notes that the administrative court of Baden-Württemberg has ruled that the club will not be able to play at these times, which have been deemed “rest periods”.

The Bundesliga stages matches on Friday and Monday evenings and Sunday afternoons and the ruling would mean that Freiburg could only play games on Saturday afternoons at its new stadium.

The ruling comes after local residents complained that the new stadium, which will have a capacity of 34,700, would cause significant noise pollution on match days.

The stadium is being built at a cost of €80m (£69m/$89m) and is slated to open in time for the 2020-21 season. The stadium will replace the 24,000-seat Schwarz-Stadion as Freiburg’s home ground.

In May, Freiburg was boosted by the news that a request to halt construction of the stadium had been rejected by the local court. Residents had filed a lawsuit against the building permit issued by the Freiburg Regional Council, with noise disturbances cited as a major concern.

The suit, which argued that noise during the so-called “rest periods” would be above the permitted guidelines, was rejected but this week’s ruling presents a fresh blow to the club.

In a statement issued to the Kicker magazine, Freiburg said the ruling was “more than surprising”, adding that the club would examine the case in more detail before moving forward.

Image: SC Freiburg