SV Ried Faces Bundesliga Match โwith Severely depleted Squad Due โtoโ COVID-19 Outbreak
RIED, Austria – SV Ried will play its upcoming Austrian Bundesliga matchโค against Hartberg with only eleven availableโ field players after a important COVID-19 outbreak sweptโข throughโข tehโข club, impactingโ playersโค and โคcoaching staff. Even head coach Maximilianโฃ Senft โขhas fallen ill, yetโ intends to be present on Sunday.
The Innviertler are โin a “dramatic personnel situation,” according toโข Sports Chief Wolfgang Fiala, who confirmed โa large portion of the coachingโ team is also affected. “Weโค are now looking atโฃ day by โคday. There is a lot of improvisation,”โข Fiala stated. The Austrian Bundesliga โขrejected Ried’sโ request โขfor โpostponement, forcingโ the team to rely โคon players from its second โฃteam, the “young Vikings,” โฃand โacademy players to fill the squad. Despite the crisis, the goalkeeper trio led by captain Andreas Leitner, and veterans Michael Sollbauer and Saliou Sanรฉ remain healthy and will be relied uponโ for experience.
Ried isโค further weakened byโฃ the absence of โNicolas Bajlicz, Jonas Mayer, and Peter Kiedl, who are currently with the U21โ national team. Fiala acknowledged the uphill battle,stating a “wonder of the world” wouldโฃ be needed to secure a โขpositive result againstโฃ Hartberg.The team was โhoping to build on a recent 3-1โฃ derbyโข win against LASK. The club’s priority is now the โrecovery ofโข sick โคplayers ahead of their next match againstโข Austria Vienna on September 20.