The “ghost games” contemplated in all European leagues are also the only chance in the Austrian Bundesliga to end the season despite the crisis triggered by the corona virus. Otherwise only the final termination of the season remains. Defending champion Red Bull Salzburg, who is second in the championship round behind LASK, clearly advocates the variant of games in front of empty ranks. “I am convinced that we can play such games if we all want to (…)”, said sports director Christoph Freund on Sunday in a video talk round at ORF. “We are working intensively on this.”
Slight skepticism, on the other hand, can be heard from the representatives of the Linz leader, who could be declared a champion in this country if the demolition was carried out along the lines of the Belgian model, such as Anderlecht there. Whether the prospect of games without viewers will be implemented depends primarily on the federal government. “We do not need to discuss this beforehand,” LASK President Siegmund Gruber made clear in the group broadcast as part of “Sport am Sonntag”.
“Ghost games” – how does it work?
The most likely option is currently the following: The authorities allow training and games without an audience with certain conditions. It is clear that this variant requires special measures.
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Health or entertainment?
The Linz president sees not only the tests necessary for a game operation during the pandemic (“Should also be tested in training”) with skepticism, but also the – possibly – tight schedule for a regular end of the season: “From two weeks of preparation and subsequent English I don’t do laps, ”said Gruber. In the case of a tightly packed program after a short preparation, the injuries would be “immense”.
Freund also brought the role of football as a distraction into play. “Football is certainly not above the health of the population,” he clarified, but also said: “We are convinced that we can give society and fans the most in difficult times if we can keep them entertained.” He also encountered Gruber’s contradiction. “I find it difficult when the playgrounds are closed, which kids are not allowed to get out yet. We would then be privileged as professionals to stand outside on the pitch. This is difficult to convey socially and politically, ”said Gruber.
Crucial Wednesday
The protagonists will get more clarity in the next few days. On Wednesday, the ÖFB Presidium will advise in a video conference about the further measures in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. a. also the way forward in the top leagues and in relation to the ÖFB Cup final. If the championship was abandoned, in the absence of a clear regulation, the Presidium would have to decide by a two-thirds majority on the freestyle of the master and the allocation of the international starting places.
This is how the future looks when the league ends
Nothing works anymore – a scenario that the soccer Bundesliga could well threaten and raise many questions. Questions that the ÖFB Presidium should deal with.
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The question of relegation, however, seems to be settled – at least when it comes to lawyer Peter Vogl. The honorary president of SV Ried and ex-Salzburg managing director explained on ORF that there could be no relegation if the race was canceled. Thus, a possible other solution would have to be discussed in terms of sports policy to enable promotion from the second division – for example by increasing the upper house.
For Gruber, who is one of three league representatives on the ÖFB Presidium, a lot depends on the legal opinion that the ÖFB has commissioned and that should reflect all the legal consequences of a termination. “It will be the essential basis for the decisions,” confirmed ÖFB President Leo Windtner. Gruber, who is entitled to vote (“It will be available on Tuesday or Wednesday”), says that he wants to be guided above all by it and not only by his love for LASK.
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