The German table tennis star Timo Boll and his club Borussia Düsseldorf have finally been dismissed as Champions League winners of the 2021/22 season.
After a legal hiccup, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) decided on Friday (05.08.2022) that there will be no title holder for the season in question. “Now there is a verdict and we accept that,” said Borussia manager Andreas Preuss.
On March 3, Düsseldorf was declared the winner of the European premier class after beating 1. FC Saarbrücken in the semi-finals because the second semi-final between the Russian teams from Orenburg and Yekaterinburg was no longer held due to exclusion by the ETTU presidium after the start of the war became.
continuation is no longer possible
However, the Russian clubs were partially successful with an appeal: the Board of Appeal made it clear that the ETTU was allowed to suspend national teams, but not Russian club teams.
“ETTU’s decision is not unexpected for us,” Preuß continued, and a continuation of the Champions League also makes little sense: “The clubs now have other squads, have new players under contract, others no longer, so it’s technically It’s no longer possible to play the games.”
Consultation with all participating clubs
National player Dimitrij Ovtcharov had also played for Fakel Orenburg up until the war.
The decision to cancel the Champions League was made after consultation with all clubs involved in the semi-finals and finals, the ETTU said. Borussia had declared early on that it would not play against Orenburg or Yekaterinburg if the final was rescheduled.
