RB Leipzig install airport gangway to keep coaches and players 1.5 metres apart

RB Leipzig used a raised airport gangway in order to ensure they complied with social distancing measures in their match against Freiburg.

Football returned to Europe with Germany's Bundesliga this weekend after Chancellor Angela Merkel's instructed for the county's coronavirus lockdown measures to be eased.

However, with health and safety regulations of utmost importance, the Bundesliga side had to have a gangway delivered to the Red Bull Arena from Leipzig/Halle Airport on Friday.

The gangway was drafted in in order to extend the space available in the stand and therefore fit all the coaches and players while maintaining the required 1.5metres distance between them.

The gangway therefore acted as a connecting staircase between the pitchside dugouts and the spillover area.

Both sets of players and managers also had to maintain the required distance when being interviewed by television reporters before and after the 1-1 draw between the sides.

Leipzig's innovation idea appears to have come about thanks to a stroke of genius from their Operations team.

The height difference between the pitch and the seats in the stand is 3m, and therefore instead of helping passengers a plane, the airport gangway is now escorting substitutes down to the pitch.

Uwe Schuhardt, a spokesman for Leipzig/Halle Airport, told Westfalische Nachrichten: 'Special situations require special measures. We are happy to help.'

However on the pitch Leipzig's hopes of a first Bundesliga title took a massive blow as they drew to Freiburg.

Manuel Gulde gave the visitors the lead before Leipzig and Denmark striker Yussuf Poulsen equalised.

Freiburg has a last-gasp winner ruled out for offside by VAR, but Julian Nagelsmann's men were overtaken by Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table after their 4-0 derby-day win over Schalke.