The Upper Franconian derby between the basketball players from s.Oliver Würzburg and Medi Bayreuth was already under special auspices on Sunday afternoon: It should take place in front of empty stands in Würzburg’s arena, which since the New Year no longer bears the name of the main sponsor, who decided in December has to retire from Würzburg basketball after this season. The s.Oliver Arena has now become the tectake arena – named after an e-commerce company from Baden-Württemberg.
But then the new namesake had to watch how the omens became even more special than desired: Hours before the game, hectic broke out, there were calls back and forth, even in the hall.
The short version: Würzburg’s team had positive corona tests and several other players with symptoms of illness. Until shortly before the kick-off it was apparently not clear whether the game could even start – at least for the teams. Because both clubs did not want to play, but the basketball Bundesliga remained tough and insisted on implementation. “Both clubs are of the opinion that it is very doubtful that the game will take place. The players and I myself are not enthusiastic about this decision. But: The Show must go on, the gladiators will be thrown into the ring,” said Bayreuths Coach Raoul Korner soured shortly before the scheduled start of the game at 3 p.m. on the broadcasting station Magenta TV.
The clubs did not have a choice; if the game had been boycotted, they would face severe penalties.
Bayreuth defeated Würzburg, which got deeper and deeper into the relegation battle after its eighth defeat in a row, ultimately with a bang 88:80 (41:35). The guests, who only moved away to 86:80 25 seconds before the end thanks to a threesome from their winger Sacar Anim, are still keeping up with the playoff places thanks to their success. But the sporting aspects of this meeting were completely in the background because of the turbulence before the game.
“I find it absurd and grossly negligent that you force both teams to compete here,” says Bayreuth’s injured captain Bastian Doreth
As Würzburg’s managing director Steffen Liebler said during the live broadcast before kick-off, there were several players with symptoms of illness on the day after Würzburg returned from Berlin, where the Lower Franconians had beaten the German champions 61:96 on December 31st noticed. Coach Sasa Filipkovski, who only made his debut shortly after Christmas in the defeat against Göttingen, had a positive quick test, the day after a player had also tested positive. The other tests were negative, according to Liebler, but symptoms in parts of the team, such as fever and headache, remained.
The daily updated PCR tests required by the league as usual were then all negative. However, in addition to Filipkovski, who was replaced by assistant coach Steven Key, the players Julius Böhmer, Alex King, Julian Albus and William Bufford weren’t there – the Würzburgers, who were already battered by bad luck with injuries, had hardly any options. Added to this was the uncertainty as to who could have infected everything. “For us it is incomprehensible that the league is allowing the game to take place,” said Liebler, “the players are blown, they come almost directly from the Corona test track into the hall. Preparation, training, video analysis: there was all that not.”
Bayreuth was also very reluctant to be persuaded by the league. Their home game against Baskets Oldenburg, scheduled for December 30, had still been postponed, several Oldenburg regulars had to go into quarantine due to positive corona tests. Last Monday, Bayreuth’s team captain Bastian Doreth injured his right foot during the clear defeat against Alba Berlin, diagnosis: capsule tear on the toe. Doreth had now also traveled to Würzburg and, like so many others, no longer understood the world. At halftime, the 32-year-old said on Magenta TV: “I find it absurd and grossly negligent that you are forcing both teams to play here, even though they say they see too high a health risk for the players. That’s the case again a classic case where the league takes precedence over the clubs. ” A continuation of these debates is likely to follow soon.
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