Bundesliga restarts on June 2, cup final on May 29

Austrian professional soccer starts again on May 29 with the ÖFB Cup final between Red Bull Salzburg and second division Austria Lustenau. The Bundesliga season, which had been interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March, will continue on June 2. Professional Bundesliga clubs decided that at the club conference on Wednesday.

The federal government had only agreed Tuesday that the season suspended in the upper house can end with games without an audience. The next day, league reps did the facts: The ten games comprising ranking and teacher groups are said to have ended with only rounds in English before July 5. This is followed by the three-game Europa League tiebreaker, where the last international starting position is played. The master group always plays on Sundays and Wednesdays, in the qualifying round on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The play-off semifinals are scheduled for July 8, the two finals are scheduled for July 11 and 15.

“It is an important step”

There will be no mandatory quarantine camp prior to restart and only one friendly match may be played. In case of cancellation, the current championship will be canceled. “It is an important step for all of us and it is particularly important that the ball return to the pitch,” said league board member Christian Ebenbauer. He was relieved and pleased that the Austrian league “could also play a pioneering role in team sport” in this country. “We look forward to supporting everyone from the top and giving everyone the opportunity to be able to do their sport soon.”

As is well known, the federal government sees the continuation of the Bundesliga as a model test for other sports. With the tight schedule, Ebenbauer says, one tries to avoid player contracts that expire regarding expiring legal uncertainty. Additionally, the league would have two and a half weeks for any postponement necessary to end the championship in late July if necessary. Ghost games are currently the only way to get the ball rolling again. “The ghost games are an emergency plan and they financially harm the clubs. But we still have to get the ball up and start it again now. And we hope to be able to watch football with the spectators at the stadium as soon as possible.”

Those are the rules of the Crown.

General medical conditions were established in a hygiene and prevention concept developed by the Bundesliga and the Ministry of Health, and some were regulated in a regulation. In team sports, all players, i.e. players, coaches, and coaches, must undergo PCR testing prior to the first joint training session and demonstrate that they are SARS-CoV-2 negative. The course of health is documented in a diary with daily measurements of fever. “The clubs unanimously decided to do a PCR test every week to make sure,” said Ebenbauer. In case of infection, only the person in question should be quarantined. The rest of the team, all supervisors and coaches are encouraged to minimize contacts, but training and games may continue. However, this group must be tested within 14 days after an infection is known before each competition game. There are also rules of conduct on game days.

According to Ebenbauer, the concept of prevention will be published. “There will be no Shakehands in the square and goals should not be made with hugs and other caresses,” said Ebenbauer. The sanctions have yet to be discussed. The ball boys must disinfect the balls that fall off the field. Side trainers do not need to wear mouth / nose protection. An increase in the replacement quota for five players is still being decided, which has been approved by the Board of the International Football Association and the world association FIFA. Five changes make sense from a regeneration perspective, Ebenbauer said. “However, in the event of restrictions, it will have to be determined if five individual changes are really possible, especially towards the end of the game.” Talks with the owner of television rights Sky are also ongoing to showcase the league’s games on open television.

The season could also continue in the second division, as long as the prevention concept applicable to the upper division is observed. The situation here is more complicated, Ebenbauer said. “In the end, in my opinion, it will be about the financial requirements.” A final decision could be made at a club conference next Monday.

LASK is planning training camps.

The policy started rolling in the Bundesliga yesterday at 9.15 a.m., five and a half hours later, LASK was already fully focused on the restart in early June. The championship leader set the pace in the title race: “After 22 laps we have a three-point lead, it cannot be our goal to finish fourth,” said Vice President Jürgen Werner. “This is how the players line up.”

When you begin?

The schedule was discussed at today’s club conference. In the opening, Salzburg and Lustenau will play the cup final on May 29, then the Bundesliga power play will begin on June 2.

How is LASK prepared?

Normal team training is allowed starting Friday. An eight-day training camp is scheduled next week. The club has yet to verify whether this is allowed, as well as a test run. “We are supposed to be allowed to play a test game,” Werner said. The opponent will be a qualifying club. Then there is a week of normal training before the restart.

Is the preparation time sufficient?

“We know it won’t be enough,” said coach Valerien Ismael. Captain Gernot Trauner said he felt in great shape after the program at home. “It was seen in the field that partly it is not so. Now we should not waste time.” In the continuation, health is at stake due to lack of physical fitness, even apart from the corona virus. Ismael expects many injuries. “Everything else would surprise me.” That’s why he hopes that at least, as approved by FIFA, he can change five times, not just to spread the load. It also increases player motivation if two more changes are possible, and there are more tactical options. That shouldn’t be limited to the rest of the season. Ismael: “I hope it continues like this.”

Do the players and coaches feel safe?

“We are happy that it continues,” Trauner said. “We can start preparing without hesitation.” The tests contribute to a sense of security: LASK was tested every week this week, every other day last week, without a positive case. “We feel safe,” Ismael said. The reservations that LASK had expressed “appear to have evaporated,” Werner said: “We are completely behind the Bundesliga position.”

Football Bundesliga as a test balloon

The continuation of the season depended on a question: what happens if the Corona test is positive? Initially, the Ministry of Health had requested quarantine for the entire team and its opponents, but now they agreed that only the infected would be isolated.

As a test balloon for team sports, the Bundesliga is now under special scrutiny. “It is deliberately formulated as a model experiment with scientific support,” said Health Minister Rudolf Anschober. “Now let’s take a look at this process. How does it work? Do we have positive test results? How can we react to that? We are entering completely new territory.” When it was new, Upper Austria accepted that there was always “something to readjust”. Sports Minister Werner Kogler commented on the decision, which is accompanied by the relaxation of society as a whole: “This is a remarkable step, it is not so small.” According to Anschober, it is currently not possible to say whether and when spectators can return to the stadiums.

The green light is not a “Lex Bundesliga,” emphasized everyone involved. Theoretically, other professional team sports would be possible again outdoors starting Friday. However, the requirements can practically only be financed financially by football.