1st and 2nd Bundesliga
Berlin (dpa) – The renewed sharp rise in the number of corona is also presenting professional football with ever greater challenges. After FSV Mainz 05 applied to the German Football League to postpone the game in the Bundesliga at FC Augsburg, second division side Hamburger SV followed suit.
After a corona outbreak in the team, the north Germans want to postpone the home game against FC Erzgebirge Aue scheduled for Saturday. “Unfortunately, we would not be able to play in the current situation and have canceled the training sessions scheduled for today,” said HSV sports director Jonas Boldt.
The suspected corona cases were confirmed after tests. “A large part of the squad and staff has contracted the corona virus,” said HSV, without naming the exact number of sick people. League competitor Fortuna Düsseldorf became more specific and already reported 14 infected professionals, head coach Daniel Thioune is also affected. It is unclear whether the Düsseldorf team can compete in Paderborn on Saturday (1.30 p.m.).
“Due to the high number of corona-related failures, we are in constant contact with the DFL. We have now applied for the game to be rescheduled,” said sporting director Klaus Allofs. The remaining healthy players complete their training sessions.
Several clubs in League 1 and 2 affected
More and more clubs are concerned about corona failures. An unspecified number of suspected cases is making SC Freiburg’s planning for Saturday’s game against VfL Wolfsburg more difficult. 1. FC Union Berlin has to do without a quartet against VfB Stuttgart after further cases. After goalkeeper Andreas Luthe and striker Kevin Behrens, the iron players are missing midfielders Levin Öztunali and Genki Haraguchi, who also tested positive for the virus.
Borussia Mönchengladbach is missing the important league game on Saturday against Hertha BSC, of all coach Adi Hütter. The Austrian is in quarantine after a positive corona test. In Frank Geideck, another of Hütter’s assistants has been in isolation since Tuesday.
Interim coach Mike Büskens is also absent from FC Schalke 04 in his first game in his new role. Because of his infection, he was only able to follow the first practice sessions of the second division team from his home office. Schalke sports director Rouven Schröder has also become infected and, like Büskens, will not be there for the game on Sunday in Ingolstadt.
20 people at FSV Mainz 05 infected
Despite the Corona outbreak at FSV Mainz 05, FC Augsburg still expects the home game to be played as scheduled on Saturday. After the Rheinhessen game against Borussia Dortmund had already been cancelled, Mainz had also applied for the Augsburg game to be postponed.
According to the club, a total of 20 people from the team and the coaching and supervisory staff have been infected with the corona virus so far. However, the prescribed quarantine period expires shortly before the Augsburg game for a number of professionals. So there would probably be enough actors available.
Further decisions are pending. According to the DFL rules of the game, an application for a transfer can be granted if fewer than 16 players are available. Among them must be at least nine licensed players and among them one goalkeeper. Injured or banned actors count as available and not in the absences.