FC Cologne are due to return to action for the first time in nearly 70 days when the Bundesliga stages its post-shutdown comeback this weekend.


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However, along with their fans, it looks like one other important member of the German club’s entourage will not be in attendance for the match against Mainz on Sunday.

New hygiene protocols mean that Cologne’s beloved goat mascot, Hennes IX, will not be allowed to enter the RheinEnergieStadion for the foreseeable future.

As per the new “special match guidelines” published by the German Football League (DFL), a maximum of 300 people will be admitted into Bundesliga stadiums on matchdays, all of whom must adhere to strict social distancing rules.

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The guidelines also confirm that players, coaches, medical staff, security and selected journalists are permitted inside the stadium. While there is nothing specific about animals mentioned in the guidelines, it is stated that player escorts and mascots are specifically forbidden and animal handlers are not named as a category of staff who are permitted entry.

This means that Hennes IX, part of the grand goat dynasty that has been part of FC Cologne’s fabric since 1950, will have to stay at home at the Kolner Zoo. Cologne must play without their good-luck charm for the first time since 2008 when one his predecessors missed a game.