FK Austria Vienna

The division of points after the end of the regular season in the Bundesliga has been the subject of debate since it was introduced in the 2018/19 season.

The reform brought more tension, but also a certain injustice, which was particularly evident in the previous year – at that time Admira was relegated, although they had scored more points than Altach over the entire season. This is another reason why many of the twelve Bundesliga coaches are skeptical about halving the points.

Sportingly unfair, sensible for the media and the public

Short and concise formulations on this topic came from Hartberg’s Markus Schopp (“Sportingly fair – no, sensible from the audience and media point of view – yes”) and Altach’s Klaus Schmidt (“It’s attractive for the spectators, for those directly involved it’s a mental peak load”) .

WAC supervisor Manfred Schmid summed it up: “From a sporting point of view, it’s certainly not fair. When you see what effects that can have, you have to question it. The other thing is marketing, because it’s naturally more exciting and entertaining. “

Practically every coach pointed out this dichotomy, including LASK supervisor Dietmar Kühbauer. “There’s probably a little more excitement for the spectators. I don’t think the division of points is fair in terms of sport, I’ve never made a secret of that. Every team falls over points that they have previously earned. Especially in the qualifying group that can be a club, who actually already had a good cushion, get into trouble.”

Rapid coach Zoran Barisic agreed with this opinion. “The division of points creates more excitement and earlier decision-making moments, but I wouldn’t call it fair, especially in the lower playoffs, where livelihoods are at stake.”

Austria Klagenfurt’s Peter Pacult also addressed this aspect. “From a sporting point of view, I don’t think it’s fair if points are deducted that you worked hard for in the regular season. Especially in the fight against relegation, when nerves come into play, things get mixed up,” explained the Viennese, however, added: “There is no doubt that it is a lot more exciting for the fans when all the clubs come closer together with the halving.”

Not just criticism

Austria’s sports director Manuel Ortlechner finds the division into master and qualification groups “not unexciting”, but otherwise has problems with the mode. “The division of points probably only makes sense to delay the championship question in Austria – basically two thirds of the championship are only counted as half, which I find unfair.”

Salzburg sports director Christoph Freund also came out as a supporter of the division of the league. “That creates an additional arc of suspense,” said Freund, pointing out that Switzerland is interested in the Austrian model.

“But I’ll leave it open whether the points have to be shared, because there is a lot at stake at all levels.” The Salzburger emphasized that all clubs have acknowledged the current league format. “And apart from personal feelings, it has also done the Bundesliga product very well so far.”

WSG Tirol trainer Thomas Silberberger chose a pragmatic approach. “There will always be two opinions on this. The teams that benefit from halving the points will be delighted with it. And those that don’t benefit from it, like us, will stimulate a reconsideration of the modus operandi. But it was decided at the time – so we’re going to have to live with that.”

“Work like a whole month – and get half the salary”

Austria Lustenaus Markus Mader was skeptical about the lack of justice (“How about if we have to work hard all month but then only get half of the wages?”), Ried trainer Maximilian Senft, on the other hand, supports the current format.

“I see professional football as part of the entertainment industry and at the same time competitive sport. Accordingly, I think the division of points makes sense in terms of increasing the attractiveness and excitement of the league,” explained the Viennese and was on the same wavelength as Sturm Graz coach Christian Ilzer.

In view of Admira’s fate in the pre-season, it is difficult to speak of “sportingly fair”. “But we’re in the entertainment industry with football these days, so a few years ago we decided to use this mode to create more excitement, and from this point of view this mode makes sense, of course,” said Ilzer.