Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac has only one smartphone rule for his players and welcomes an initiative from the club to limit screen time for the fans in their stadium.
"The rule is very easy. There is a last meal before a game, and smartphones are not permitted," Kovac said on the eve of Saturday's Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kovac said that no other restrictions are imposed on the players because "the lads are mature enough and can judge what they need to approach a match."
The statements came the day after Dortmund announced that they want to encourage fans to put away their mobile phones while watching games at the stadium via a new feature on their official app starting on Saturday.
The "Fan Mode" can be activated in the club's app on game days. When the feature is on, the app tracks the amount of time the screen is locked and fans earn points for every minute they go without using their phones.
Participants with the most points can win prizes, including autographed Dortmund shirts and gift vouchers for the fan shop.
According to the club, nearly two-thirds of football fans regularly use their phones during matches and "more and more fans are annoyed by selfies, streaming, and social media in the stands."
Kovac welcomed the idea as he criticised excessive screen time, which he was also guilty of, in general terms.
“I think we could all check our mobiles a bit less now and then. We all catch ourselves doing it. If we could cut down on it, we could focus a bit more on other things, on the person next to us,” Kovac said.