The first rejection in a European competition has arrived: Eintracht Frankfurt's game at FC Basel cannot take place in Basel as planned. The questions remain open for the first leg.
Frankfurt / Main (dpa) - According to the Swiss club, the Eintracht Frankfurt Europa League game originally scheduled for March 19 at FC Basel cannot take place in Basel due to the new type of corona virus.
The cantonal police in Basel-Stadt decided this after consulting the crisis team. It was initially unclear whether the game would take place and where. The second round of the second leg should have taken place in the St. Jakob-Park in Basel on Thursday of the following week (9:00 p.m.).
The managing director of the club, Roland Heri, said in a video: "It hurts the football heart, we stand behind the decision of the authority. It is about social responsibility in this situation. What this means now, we will discuss with the authorities and the Frankfurt team. UEFA also plays a role in this. " The European Football Union has already promised to find a solution.
"Even with a so-called ghost game, experience has shown that several hundred fans of the visiting club would travel to Basel and gather in front of the stadium during the game," the club said. This would "undermine the ban of the Federal Council in this case," said the football club.
Last week, because of the coronavirus epedmia, all football matches in the 1st and 2nd Swiss leagues had been canceled for March, as the 20 clubs in the Swiss Football League announced.
What happened to the first leg this Thursday (9:00 p.m.) was initially open. Discussions are currently underway, said the head of the Frankfurt Health Department, René Gottschalk, on Monday. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) recommended that no major events with more than 1000 people should take place in Germany at the moment. Well over 40,000 spectators are expected in Frankfurt this Thursday.
If the Swiss Federal Council's ban on events, which is currently valid until March 15, is not extended, the league will be played again on April 4 and 5. Because of the ban, games with more than 1000 spectators are no longer allowed to take place. However, ghost games without fans or games with fewer spectators remain possible.
Swiss Epidemic Act
UEFA Europa League
Overview of the Europa League round of 16
Notification FC Basel
