Austrian Bundesliga to restart in June & the season is set to continue even if a player tests positive for Covid-19

Austrian Bundesliga to restart in June

On Tuesday, the Austrian government approved plans to restart the Austrian Bundesliga season in June.

The Austrian FA relayed the message on their social media channel:

Green light! The federal government, the ÖFB and the (Austrian Bundesliga) have agreed to the basic conditions for the continuation of Bundesliga match operations.

Grünes Licht! Die Bundesregierung, der @oefb1904 & die @oefbl haben sich auf die grundsätzlichen Rahmenbedingungen zu einer Fortsetzung des Bundesliga-Spielbetriebs verständigt. Die Regelung gilt für alle Outdoor-Mannschaftssportarten im Bereich Spitzensport #GemeinsamÖsterreich

— ÖFB – oefb.at (@oefb1904) May 12, 2020

Austria’s Minister of Sport, Werner Kogler, and Minister of Health, Rudolf Anschober, confirmed that all matches will be held behind closed doors.

On the specific rollout of professional football in Austria, the action is set to resume on May 30 with the ÖFB Cup final between Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Lustenau.

As for the Austrian league, that could restart on June 2, or perhaps a week later.

All these provisional dates are set to be ironed out in a meeting on Wednesday.

12 teams compete in the Austrian Bundesliga.

There are ten gameweeks remaining in the 2019-20 season, plus three Europa League playoffs.

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

The Austrian Government has given the green light for the Austrian Bundesliga to return!

The Bundesliga is expected to resume on June 2nd, with the ÖFB Cup Final taking place on May 30th. It’s back!

— The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga) May 12, 2020

When the new fixture dates are official we’ll let you know! Tuesday June 2nd is the presumed date of the Bundesliga restart, although this could likely be Saturday June 6th too. Season will 100% restart with the ÖFB Cup Final between @RedBullSalzburg & @AustriaLustenau first.

— The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga) May 12, 2020

 

The season is set to continue even if a player tests positive for Covid-19

One of the biggest questions facing all football organisations planning to relaunch during a global pandemic is what’s going to happen if a players tests positive once the action has begun.

Until today, leagues have adopted an ostrich technique in handling their response.

However, the Austrian FA have gone another way with a bold announcement: if a player tests positive for Covid-19 once the football resumes, the plan is that they will be quarantined while the rest of the squad will be allowed to continue to play the season.

Austrian paper Wiener Zeitung report:

The Ministry of Health had originally requested that the entire team – and also possibly any opponent – would be quarantined (if any player tested positive for Covid-19), which would certainly lead to the championship being abandoned.

Now, this collective quarantine is off the table.

Instead if there is a positive case with a player – who must of course be isolated – there will be continuous checks on all the other players before each further training session or match.

A team doctor, who has to be named by every club, will be responsible for paying attention to the hygiene and prevention rules… and monitoring them continuously.

Information still trickling out, but looks like the plan is to have Englischer Wochen (2 games a week) for the rest of the season. Games will take place behind closed doors. Interestingly, if a player tests positive for #COVID19 only they will be quarantined – not the whole team.

— The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga) May 12, 2020

 

What happens if multiple players test positive for Covid-19?

Of course, football fans may wonder what will happen to the Austrian Bundesliga if multiple players in teams test positive for Covid-19.

Would this quarantine policy continue to be enforced? Or would the entire squad then be forced into 14-day isolation?

What is the cut-off point? Two players? Three? One player and one coach?

There are no clear answers to these questions right now.

 

Also see: Best Netflix, Amazon & YouTube football documentaries & movies to watch during coronavirus isolation.

Best football podcasts to listen to during coronavirus quarantine.

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