Allianz Arena Away Dugout Shrinks
- The away coaching zone at the Allianz Arena has been reduced this season by a diagonal cut at its centre-line corner, making it smaller than the home zone.
- The change is reported to implement a DFL media directive requiring an unobstructed view for the main TV camera, which is fixed on the away side due to a tunnel hatch on Bayern's
- Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß said he did not find the arrangement unfair, though he was initially seen standing outside the new boundary before complying for the rest of the
Visiting managers at the Allianz Arena are operating with a smaller coaching zone this season, following a change implemented to comply with a Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) media directive — a development that caught the attention of supporters during Bayern Munich's 5–1 Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart.
An Unequal Division
Spectators at the sold-out Allianz Arena observed that the two coaching zones are no longer of equal size. The area allocated to the away team's technical staff has been reduced by a diagonal cut at the corner nearest the centre line — precisely the spot where visiting coaches most commonly position themselves during matches. Bayern's coaching area, by contrast, remains unchanged.
According to information obtained from the reporting, the alteration is not the result of a groundstaff error or a fault with the automated line-marking robot used at the club. Instead, it is described as the deliberate implementation of a DFL media guideline that requires a clearer, unobstructed sightline for the main television camera, which is stationed adjacent to the away coaching zone on the north stand side of the pitch.
Why the Camera Cannot Simply Move
The reason the main camera sits on the away side rather than the home side relates to the infrastructure of the stadium itself: a large retractable hatch leading to the players' tunnel is located immediately to the right of the camera position, preventing it from being situated on the Bayern bench side. As a result, it is the visiting team that bears the spatial consequence. In previous seasons, away coaches regularly appeared in the television frame, obstructing the broadcast picture; the diagonal boundary line is intended to resolve that problem.
Coaches React With Equanimity
When asked about the adjustment at the post-match press conference, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany was quick to deflect any suggestion of involvement: "I have nothing to do with it," he said, with a degree of levity. Stuttgart counterpart Sebastian Hoeneß was similarly relaxed, saying he did not consider the arrangement unfair and adding: "I didn't notice. Is it different from last year? I don't know whether any manager looks at that line."
Hoeneß's behaviour on the touchline told a slightly different story, however. In the opening minutes of the match he was observed standing beyond the new boundary; for the remainder of the game, he kept within it. Whether other visiting coaches will accept the reduced zone as placidly as Hoeneß remains to be seen across the months ahead. Among supporters, the asymmetry has already generated considerable comment.
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