The Corona virus does not stop at professional football, several Bundesliga clubs have to deal with cancellations due to infections before the start of the second half of the season. When is there a threat of a match being cancelled?
It’s not just FC Bayern that is facing a Corona emergency ahead of the second-round kick-off on Friday evening. As of Wednesday, eight Munich professionals have tested positive for the virus. Could the game be postponed? The DFL has agreed on a regulation with all clubs at the beginning of the pandemic. The most important questions and answers at a glance:
How many players must be fit to play for a Bundesliga match to take place?
According to the DFL Match Regulations, at least 16 Licensed Players eligible to play and/or amateurs/contract players eligible to play in the Licensed Team must be available. These 16 players must include at least nine licensed players, including one goalkeeper. Incidentally, suspended and injured players are deemed to be “available”: “When deciding on an application, facts typical of sport (injuries, sporting penalties, etc.) as well as illnesses which, on the face of it, are attributable to grossly negligent or intentional breaches of essential requirements of Annexes I and II to the DFL e.V.’s Laws of the Game shall not be taken into account. Players injured, suspended or ill in this respect shall accordingly be deemed to be ‘available’ for the purposes of this rule.” Players in Corona quarantine or players missing by substitution order, on the other hand, do not count as such.
How do the clubs concerned prove the Corona cases?
In the first instance, the official orders must be submitted on an isolation. If this order is still pending for a player, he is also considered to have the disease if he has tested positive. Contact persons of a player who has tested positive shall only be deemed to have the disease if a quarantine order has been issued for them by a competent authority.
What is the deadline for requesting a postponement?
An application for postponement must be submitted immediately after the illnesses become known, i.e. as soon as a club has fewer than 16 players eligible to play.
Who decides on the cancellation or postponement of a match?
The German Football League e.V. shall decide on the application.
When must the match be made up?
In principle, the match must be scheduled for the following match-free Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest if there is no higher-level match operation on these days. In the case of the match between FC Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach, an appointment on 11 or 12 January would be possible, as no other matches take place during the week.
Have any matches in the 1st or 2nd Bundesliga already been cancelled this season because of Corona?
Yes. The second division match between FC St. Pauli and SV Sandhausen had to be postponed after the visitors did not have the minimum number of players available due to a Corona outbreak. Twelve players and six people from the SV Sandhausen coaching staff had tested positive, according to the club.
