Even in empty stadiums, Bundesliga look to spice it up with cardboard fans, piped applause

Bundesliga will return after a two-month hiatus on Saturday without the presence of supporters in the stadiums. (Source: Reuters)

When Borussia Monchengladbach met neighbours FC Koln in the Bundesliga’s first-ever game without fans back in March, even the referee missed the crowd. (Source: Reuters)

For safety purposes to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Belarus' Dinamo Brest filled their stands with mannequins sporting cut-out portraits of real supporters. Now, Monchengladbach will follow suit. (Source: Reuters)

For €19, the club offers to put a "cardboard you" in the stands — and visiting teams’ fans can book cut-outs for the away end. The club said more than 12,000 such effigies have been ordered so far. (Source: Reuters)

On the other hand, Munich-based hack-CARE has developed an app — Myapplause — which will allow up to 350,000 fans per match to react from their sofas. (Source: Reuters)

Depending on the number of clicks and sound distribution of the "cheer, clap, sing or whistle" reactions, piped crowd noise will be produced both at users’ homes and in the stadium. (Source: Reuters)