FSV Mainz 05 was already confronted with the new reality when it had just reported 19 corona cases and the absence of coach Bo Svensson and all three goalkeepers.
The German Football League (DFL) not only sent the cancellation of the Dortmund game, but also an alternative date: on March 16, ten days later and this Wednesday (6:30 p.m.), please play. Now many professionals are fresh out of quarantine and are supposed to compete against the hungry master contender for top striker Erling Haaland. Sports director Christian Heidel does not agree with the general processes.
What do the people of Mainz demand?
Heidel wants an adjustment to the rules of the game. “There is only healthy or sick. The health of the players must be the priority. Being able to play and being able to train can also make a difference,” said the 58-year-old at a video press conference on Sunday. The official feels it is a big mistake to automatically regard players who have tested negative again as fit after an infection.
Although some professionals have been released from quarantine, they are not yet able to train or work again. Head coach Svensson speaks of “a mega challenge”. On Tuesday, the Mainz team announced that Dutchman Delano Burgzorg would be out for the time being after being infected with a myocarditis. “For anyone who thinks if you’re negative then you’re able to play, he’s the best example that it’s not,” said Svensson. “We also see with the other guys that it’s not easy to come back.”
Also controversial is the point that players who are suspended or injured in the rules of the game are considered fit for play. “You have to quickly address the regulations because they are not in order. The question of injuries must be clarified, it cannot go on like this,” said Düsseldorf’s sporting director Klaus Allofs.
With which team can Mainz challenge BVB?
That is completely unclear. Mainz treated the situation discreetly and, with the exception of coach Svensson and the three goalkeepers, without whom there was no playable team, did not name any names. “We can already see that some of them will definitely not play a role on Wednesday. We hope that others will be available,” said Svensson from Denmark. In the meantime, other players have been tested, but: “The status is very different.”
Dortmund coach Marco Rose, who still has to do without defenders Raphael Guerreiro and Mats Hummels after positive corona tests, does not want to be influenced by the opponent’s concerns. “We know what to expect,” he said on Tuesday. “We’ll see with which staff Mainz will serve.”
What threatens German professional football in the final sprint?
Similar to the past two years. In 2020, the final spurt of the season was pushed through after a two-month break in a three-day rhythm, and there were game cancellations last year as well. Recently, the transfers have increased again, in addition to the two Mainz game cancellations, the duel between Hamburger SV and Erzgebirge Aue in the 2nd Bundesliga was also transferred. There are currently still enough alternative windows available, but if there are cancellations on the 33rd or 34th match day, there is a risk of distortion of competition.
Which clubs recently had cases to complain about?
Mainz was definitely hit the hardest, the cancellations of the games against Dortmund and Augsburg made for a novelty in this Bundesliga season. In the 2nd league, HSV and Düsseldorf were hit with major internal team outbursts. Arminia Bielefeld had to travel to Dortmund on Sunday without six professionals and coach Frank Kramer. The next international break awaits at the end of March, which should increase the risk of further contagion within the teams.
How soon should players return after infection?
That depends on the severity of the symptoms and the course. In this context, Svensson from Mainz is happy that he is only a coach and not an active player. “If I run up the stairs quickly, then I also notice something, so I can imagine what it’s like for the guys who have to do high-performance sports,” he said. Sports physicians see it that way too. “From a medical point of view, 14 days between the infection and the next game would be the absolute minimum,” said sports cardiologist Martin Halle to the “kicker”.
Jochen Veit, who witnessed 25 infected people as the team doctor of the Iserlohn Roosters ice hockey team, took a closer look at the cases and visited his infected professionals in protective gear. “Three players had an increased heart rate, three other players had a different heart rate. In some cases, the blood values did not match the course of the disease,” Veit told the ARD “Sportschau”. There were also symptoms such as dizziness and fever. Since the sports doctor “the alarm bells went off”. Veit advocates a cautious return to training. Taking the negative test as the only basis, he calls “extremely dangerous”.
Source: dpa