Behind closed doors (sport)
The term "behind closed doors" is used in several sports to describe matches played where spectators are not allowed in the stadium or venue to watch.[1] The reasons for this may include punishment for a team found guilty of a certain act in the past, stadium safety problems, public health concerns, or to prevent potentially dangerous clashes between rival supporters.
Crowdless games are a rare occurrence in professional sports. When they do occur, it is usually the result of events beyond the control of the teams or fans, such as weather-related concerns, public health concerns, or wider civil disturbances unrelated to the game. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic caused most sports leagues around the world to be played behind closed doors.[2][3]
Examples
Brazil
In Brazil, the practice of games without public access is known as "closed gates" (in Portuguese, portões fechados), even referred as such in the
North America
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The most prevalent example of North American teams playing without fans in attendance was as a consequence of public health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, these were determined by local health authorities which had the power to limit public gatherings. While the terms and duration of these measures varied by jurisdiction, as a general rule Canadian provincial measures were far more strict and kept in place considerably longer compared to those in U.S. states. Canadian authorities were also much less willing to grant exemptions for professional sports teams, with the exemptions granted being very limited in scope, in some cases, public health authorities threatened not to grant sufficient dispensation to allow a sufficient gathering to permit a game to be played at all.
A related issue affecting the leagues was travel restrictions, imposed at the federal, provincial and state levels, barring non-essential border crossings and/or mandating strict
The National Football League, which was in its offseason at the start of the pandemic, was the only league able to complete its season in 2020 with minimal disruption to the schedule. Over time, public health authorities began to allow crowds again, first in limited numbers. One of the consequences of this was that Super Bowl LV, the first to be held in the stadium of a participating team, was also the least-attended Super Bowl in history. By the autumn of 2021, capacity crowds were generally allowed throughout the United States although some Canadian jurisdictions continued to limit attendance. By the spring of 2022, capacity limits were lifted in Canada as well.
Several leagues have
Minor League Baseball and the Canadian Football League both cancelled their summer 2020 seasons rather than attempt to go crowdless (the CFL has substantial television revenue, but not enough to cover salaries and other gameday expenses, with no prospect of convincing provincial governments to allow crowds to attend games at this time this meant the league lost less money by not playing).
Hooliganism has been less of a factor in North American sports than in the rest of the world. Local law enforcement in the United States and Canada are traditionally armed, unlike in some other countries. In addition, private security contractors working for either the team or a league, and national agencies such as the United States Department of Homeland Security take large roles in preventing situations of fan violence before they can occur by restricting access to known troublesome fans either at the gate or at the stage of selling tickets (such as "do not sell" lists), along with heavy restrictions on bringing in items and screening with metal detectors and pat-down searches where bringing in a weapon or explosive device can result in immediate arrest and permanent banishment from a venue, and other examples such as the "clear bag" policy, which only allows spectators to bring in bags that can be easily seen through.
Teams also have incentive to prevent fan violence due to forfeit rules which come with penalties to their records and playoff positioning, and league sanctions such as fines and the stripping of draft picks due to neglecting to create a safe environment for players, which in turn can affect teams for years beyond a violent event. Also sporting events in North America are considered to be more of a family-friendly and uniting affair, as sports fans tend to respect each other as fans of a common sport. In other countries around the world, sports matches are sometimes proxies for bitter and long-standing ethnic, political, and religious divisions; this is less so in the United States, where the broad variety of sports options manifests as different ethnic groups preferring different sports, reducing the chance at intercultural rivalry within a single sport. While racial segregation in the United States once extended to organized sports, the primary intent was to exclude blacks from playing on white teams and leagues altogether, so the result was often the organization of separate teams and leagues for black players, whom the white teams simply refused to play. When the "color lines" of each sport were finally broken, it was by formerly all-white teams signing black athletes instead of by admitting entire black teams, although numerous incidents of racist abuse by players and spectators did occur in the decades following integration.
Furthermore, the much larger geographical footprint of the North American sports leagues mean that even fierce rivals are often based hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. For example, while the
All of these reduce the chances of
History
World Chess Championship 1972
Perhaps one of the first and most famous incidents of a sport being carried out behind closed doors was Game 3 of the World Chess Championship 1972 in Reykjavík, Iceland, often referred to as the Match of the Century. Eventual winner Bobby Fischer, who was upset by the noise of film cameras, insisted he would not play unless it was behind closed doors. Sportingly, his opponent, Boris Spassky, obliged Fischer's request rather than claim a win by forfeit.[7]
1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup
After rioting by fans in the first leg against
1982–83 European Cup
After rioting by fans in a semifinal at Anderlecht in Belgium the previous April, Aston Villa were forced to begin their defence of the European Cup at an empty Villa Park in a September 1982 first round match, with the match kicking off at 2:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon.[9]
1987–88 European Cup
After UEFA ban resulting from the incidents in the match between
2007 Italian Football
As a result of a policeman being
2009 Italian Football
2009 Davis Cup match in Sweden
In March 2009, Sweden's Davis Cup tennis team was slated to host a qualifying match against Israel's team in the city of Malmö. The local authorities in Malmö, particularly the city's then-Mayor, did not want an Israeli team to play there and pushed to cancel the match. When the Swedish Tennis Association noted that a cancellation would result in Sweden suffering a forfeit loss and being eliminated from the Davis Cup altogether, it was agreed that the Sweden-Israel match would be played without spectators on "security grounds". Rioting outside the arena led to numerous arrests, and in the end Sweden lost to Israel and saw their 2009 Davis Cup run end anyway.
2009–10 UEFA Europa League
FC Dinamo București had to play two group stage home games behind closed doors after their match against FC Slovan Liberec on 25 August 2009 was abandoned in the 88th minute due to a pitch invasion by Dinamo fans.
2009 Mexico Clausura
During the
2010–11 Heineken Cup
In rugby union, the 2010–11 Heineken Cup pool stage match between Edinburgh and Castres at Murrayfield was played behind closed doors on 20 December 2010. The match was originally scheduled for 19 December, but was postponed due to heavy snow in Edinburgh that covered the pitch and created major access issues for potential spectators. The competition organiser, European Rugby Cup, decided to hold the rescheduled match behind closed doors to remove any possible danger to spectators attempting to travel to the match.[12]
Turkish Football in 2011–12
Starting with the 2011–12 season, the
Ajax–AZ, 2011–12 KNVB Cup
A match between
In the original match, held at the same venue on 21 December 2011, Ajax held a 1–0 lead when a fan
After Ajax also apologised to their opponents, they were fined €10,000 for failing to provide adequate security to prevent the fan, who was serving a three-year stadium ban, from entering the arena. Ajax accepted the penalties, and announced that it had extended the fan's stadium ban by 30 years and banned him for life from the club and its season ticket list.[15]
2014 Urawa Red Diamonds
On 8 March 2014, the Urawa Red Diamonds were forced by the J.League to play their next game against Shimizu S-Pulse in front of only journalists and security as the Reds hung up a banner in Saitama Stadium which read "JAPANESE ONLY", which was deemed racist against fans.[16]
Barcelona–Las Palmas, 2017–18 La Liga
Surrounding violence in Catalonia due to the
Philippines–Qatar, 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers
As part of the sanctions handed to the
Querétaro–Atlas riot
On 5 March 2022, a riot broke out among fans during a Liga MX football game between Querétaro F.C. and Atlas F.C.,[21] injuring at least 26 people.[22]
In the aftermath of the riots, Querétaro was ordered to play its home matches behind closed doors for up to a year, while also banning its supporters' group for three years, and the club's owners being required to divest the club, and be prohibited from league activities for five years.[23][24] Liga MX's second-tier league, Liga de Expansión MX, ordered all matches league-wide to be played behind closed doors from 8–13 March 2022.[25]
Major League Baseball
On 28 April 2015, a
This was the first time a major professional sporting event in North America was held in an empty venue; in
PGA Tour Golf
While large galleries consisting of thousands of fans are standard for top-level professional
In the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California, after inclement weather disrupted play on Sunday and several trees were ripped apart on the golf course, fans were barred from the premises for the Monday conclusion of the final round of the tournament due to safety issues.[31] The 2018 edition of the same tournament also was finished behind closed doors on Monday. The sudden death playoff had reached five holes without a winner, and darkness made it impossible to complete the tournament. The event concluded Monday morning at 8:18 a.m. behind closed doors.
Ice Hockey
The
In 1985, a measles outbreak on campus led Boston University to hold home ice hockey games without spectators for a week, in order to control the disease's spread. Basketball games were also affected, and other large public events on campus were also temporarily banned.[34]
COVID-19 pandemic
Games without crowds were often the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the period before COVID-19 vaccinations were widely available, due to government-imposed restrictions on large gatherings to prevent spread of COVID-19. Many events that were not postponed or cancelled were held behind closed doors as broadcast-only events.
Sports
Association football
- The
- The Ludogorets Razgrad in San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy, as well as all football matches in Italy between 4 March and 3 April.[35]
- The
- The
- Major League Soccer returned after the 2020 Major League Soccer season was suspended, playing the MLS is Back Tournament behind closed doors at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.[38]
- The UEFA Europa League matches between Olympiacos and Wolverhampton Wanderers,[39] and LASK and Manchester United.[40]
- The Atalanta,[41] and Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.[42] Despite the ban on fans inside the stadium, thousands gathered outside to cheer PSG as they beat Borussia Dortmund.[43]
- Germany's Bundesliga announced plans to resume its 2019–20 season without spectators.[44] On 6 May 2020, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, gave approval for the Bundesliga, suspended since March 2020, to recommence in May 2020 with all remaining games to be played behind closed doors.[45]
- South Korea's K League began its 2020 season on 8 May and Japan's J.League planned a mid-June return.[46]
Athletics
- The 2020 Tokyo Marathon was held with only elite competitors allowed to attend.[47]
- Similarly, the London Marathon (originally scheduled for 26 April, but was postponed to 4 October) was also held only to attend elite competitors.[48]
Australian rules football
- The 2020 AFL season played its first round of matches without spectators before suspending the season.[49] This continued into the 2021 season, with many games late in the season played under heavily restricted crowds or no crowds at all, especially late in the home-and-away season after a new Victorian outbreak.
Baseball
- Japan's NPB held preseason games without fans until the season was postponed prior to opening day.[50] The league planned to return without fans by mid-June 2020.[51]
- South Korea's KBO League began their 2020 season on 5 May without fans in attendance.
- Taiwan's CPB League began play on 11 April without fans.[52] Starting 8 May, a maximum of 1,000 fans were permitted to attend games.[53][54]
- Major League Baseball in the United States began its shortened 2020 season on 23 July and held without spectators.[55][56] However, fans were allowed to attend the NLCS and World Series in Arlington, Texas. The Toronto Blue Jays, MLB's only Canadian team, were denied permission by the Canadian government to play their games in Toronto; their games were played in Buffalo, New York at Sahlen Field, the home of one of the Blue Jays' minor league affiliates.
Basketball
- The NCAA choosing to restrict attendance of this and women's basketball tournaments to the participants' families, outside of areas where public attendance has been fully restricted.[58][59] Both tournaments themselves would suffer their first cancellation in the 81-year history, along with all other championships in winter and spring sports.[60]
- On 11 March 2020, the National Basketball Association announced that a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors to be played at Chase Center in San Francisco during the regular matches of the 2019–20 season on the following day would start at its normal time of 10:30 p.m. EDT, with no fans being admitted. This measure was taken due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the Bay Area, which prompted most cities in the metropolitan area (including San Francisco) to issue a ban on public gatherings with 1,000 people or higher.[61] The restrictions were made moot with the league suspending the season a few hours later after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.[62] From 30 July until 11 October 2020, the games resumed at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida for the remainder of the season.[63]
- The
- The Toronto Raptors returned to playing all games behind closed doors effective 31 December 2021, after Ontario restricted indoor venues to a maximum of 1,000 spectators.[66]
Combat sports
Mixed martial arts
- ONE Championship's King of the Jungle in Singapore.[67]
- Since 14 March 2020, UFC Fight Night 170 taking place in Brasília; subsequent events were cancelled and resumed on 9 May at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States and later events held at UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada near Las Vegas.[68]
Professional wrestling
Sumo
The
Cricket
- Three of the
- In Australia, a cricket match between New Zealand black caps and Australia's team was held without an audience on 13 March.
- In July 2020, the Wisden Trophy between England and West Indies was held, in which a series of 3 test matches was played between them.
- In August and September 2020, Pakistan toured England to play a series of 3 test matches and 3 Twenty20 International matches, in "bio-secure" conditions behind closed doors.
- In September 2020, Australia toured England to play a series of 3 ODI matches and 3 Twenty20 International matches, in "bio-secure" conditions behind closed doors.
- The 2020 Indian Premier League was played behind closed doors, and also moved to sites in the United Arab Emirates. The 2021 Indian Premier League was held under similar restrictions in India, but was later suspended and once again resumed at sites in the UAE in September, with spectators allowed at a limited capacity.[81][82][83]
Gaelic games
Unlike other sports such as association football, the concept of "behind closed doors" as a form of punishment does not exist in Gaelic games such as football and hurling. It first emerged in the sports due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) first thought about playing games behind closed doors in March 2020 but decided against it at that time.[84] The following month it had still not been given serious thought by the organisation.[85] Opponents at this time included players such as Killian Young and managers such as Pete McGrath.[86][87] On the night of 18 August 2020, the Government imposed new restrictions as the pandemic worsened, and games (which had just resumed) were forced behind closed doors as a result.[88][89]
The later rounds of the
Golf
The
Likewise, the
Gridiron football
A match between the
During the 2020 NFL season, many games were played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teams allowed a limited number of fans for some or all of their home games.[100]
Horse racing
The British Horseracing Authority announced on 16 March that all horse racing in the UK would be held behind closed doors until the end of March.[101] Similarly, the annual Triple Crown races in the United States, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes were all held behind closed doors. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness States were both moved from their usual May scheduling to September and October, respectively, with the Belmont Stakes being held on its usual June date.[102]
Ice hockey
The
During the
Motorsport
- In Formula One, the first scheduled Grand Prix of 2020 in Australia was cancelled, then the Bahrain Grand Prix (the second scheduled event of the Championship) which was expected to be media/TV-only event,[112] was later postponed to 29 November 2020 and took place behind closed doors. The first few races of a rescheduled 2020 season, including two Grands Prix at Red Bull Ring (the Austrian and Styrian Grand Prix), the Hungarian and two Grands Prix at Silverstone, took place in "bio-secure" conditions behind closed doors.
- The 2020 Indianapolis 500 was held without fans in attendance. It was moved from Memorial Day weekend to 23 August to allow for the possibility of a limited number of fans, but eventually became a behind closed doors event. Several other 2020 IndyCar Series events were held behind closed doors depending on local jurisdiction regulations for event crowd capacities.
- NASCAR's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and Dixie Vodka 400 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead–Miami Speedway were not expected to admit fans; the events were later postponed.[113] NASCAR resumed its season with The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway without fans in attendance.[114] Throughout the remainder of the 2020 season, some tracks allowed a limited number of fans to attend races, the first of these tracks being Talladega Superspeedway on 22 June, Bristol Motor Speedway on 15 July, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway on 2 August, while other tracks held races without fans in attendance.[115] The NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway admitted 30,000 fans; while this was one of the largest sporting events with in-person attendance since the start of the pandemic in the U.S., Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the largest sporting venues in the world, with a total capacity of 162,000.[116]
- The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the first time no fans were in attendance.
Multi-sport events
Initially, the 2020 Summer Olympics (postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic) were approved for a maximum of 10,000 spectators or 50% capacity (whichever is lower) per-venue.[117] On 8 July 2021, it was announced that Tokyo and the three prefectures (Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama) would be placed under a new state of emergency from 12 July through 22 August due to rising cases in the area, and that spectators would be prohibited at all Olympic venues in the city. Organizers had already prohibited spectators and supporters from outside of Japan from attending the Games due to concerns over international travel restrictions.[118][119][120] Fukushima and Hokkaido later followed suit and would also prohibit spectators during the Games.[121]
Tennis
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California was postponed shortly before the beginning of the qualifying stage after a COVID-19 case was confirmed within Riverside County and the county's health department declared a public health emergency.[122] Subsequently, both the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced that their seasons would be suspended until at least 31 July, with the 2020 French Open being rescheduled to September and Wimbledon being cancelled for the first time since 1945. Furthermore, the US Open was played without spectators on the original late-August date as planned.[123][124] Additionally, the 2020 ATP Finals held in London (the final year London hosted the finals) was played without spectators as planned.[125]
Non-sporting events
- The 2020 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in Copenhagen, Denmark (a qualification event to the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was later canceled) was held with no audience being admitted.[126][127][128]
- The Koeniggsegg, unveiled their models pre-recorded at the show.
- The Miss Universe Philippines 2020 (a national pageant leading to the Miss Universe 2020) was held with no audience present.[131]
See also
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External links
- Juventus game behind closed doors
- Atalanta game behind closed doors
- Italian football to be played behind closed doors?
- Play games behind closed doors Archived 27 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Italy backs closed-doors football
- Turkey must play behind closed doors after fight[dead link]
- Dinamo handed default defeat