The positions in the conflict over a termination or the continuation of the season in the 3rd soccer league seem to be stuck. At least there is no further escalation level after the DFB statement on Wednesday.
Leipzig (dpa) - The DFB statement noted, but largely ignored the extremely harsh tone: The end of the season supporters in the 3rd league react prudently to the measures threatened by the German Football Association (DFB).
"You don't deal with your member clubs in this tone. The task of the DFB is to unite, not to split. We must not break the future. There is also a time after Corona when we want to talk to each other and play football "criticized Hermann Winkler, President of the Saxon Football Association, in an interview with the German Press Agency.
He is one of at least four participants in a conference of the presidents of the regional and regional associations with the DFB on Wednesday who did not agree to the declaration or abstained. In this it is emphasized that in the event of a voluntary termination of the 3rd league, the association will apportion any claims for damages that may arise to the clubs. "In this context, the Conference of Presidents expects that any payment obligations of the DFB in connection with a self-chosen termination of the season in terms of compensation and recourse would be borne by the clubs in the 3rd division," said a statement.
Sports director Günther Gorenzel from demolition opponent TSV 1860 Munich made an urgent appeal to all those responsible in German professional football and especially in the 3rd division. "It is our responsibility to put an end to the unworthy spectacle that some are pulling off. We have to avert further damage from German football," said the 48-year-old Austrian. In the Corona crisis, this did not only apply to the 3rd division.
"We are not going to pour any oil into the fire or start a ping-pong game, so there is no explanation from us about the letter from the DFB," said Lars Töffling on Thursday as spokesman for Halleschen FC.
At 1. FC Magdeburg you see it a little differently. In an open letter, the club demands fair play, integrity, respect, diversity and solidarity from the DFB. To accuse the demolition supporters of an unworthy spectacle, what is unbearable and no longer tolerable, "exceeds the limit of a democratic and social coexistence," write the Magdeburg.
The DFB had asked the supporters of a termination to present solutions to key questions. This includes the promotion and relegation regulations as well as practical suggestions on how the upcoming season would be carried out. In the event of an abandonment, the league would have 24 clubs in the 2020/21 season. A concept should be available by the Extraordinary DFB Bundestag on May 25th.
It is at the DFB to transparently show appropriate solutions for a potential crisis-related termination of the season, according to 1. FC Magdeburg. "Except for a mandatory suspension of the games in order to avoid recourse claims by the association, no other possible solutions have been identified and seriously discussed by the DFB Presidium itself."
FC Carl Zeiss Jena also replied to the DFB with an open letter. The Thuringians point out that it is not a voluntary, but a forced termination. "The official disposition currently does not allow us to start team training. Training is only possible with two people, ie a coach and a player. That is why it is in fact impossible for us to start the game at the time requested by the DFB," said it in the letter.
Among other things, the Jenaers are proposing to the DFB to support two promoted players in the 2nd Bundesliga and to enable the third to relegate. Since all teams threatened with relegation still have a chance of remaining in the class, there should be no relegated teams. The league would be increased to 24 teams in the coming season and then continued with 22 teams from the 2021/22 season. The reduced income from central marketing of € 192,000 could be offset by the increased number of home games. Until the start of the 2020/2021 season, all clubs would also have the option of fulfilling the hygiene concept.
The FSV Zwickau largely followed. Board spokesman Tobias Leege reacted irritated on Thursday to the DFB statement, according to which the clubs willing to drop out should submit solutions for the promotion and relegation regulations. "In our position paper of April 17, we already described our proposal in detail with seven other clubs and brought it up for discussion," said Leege.
Meanwhile, the DFB forbade SV Waldhof Mannheim, a candidate for promotion and yet a supporter of demolition, to start team training. The reason for this is the absence of two negative corona tests ordered by the association. As long as the requirements are not met, "resuming team training is not possible - regardless of the official availability -" wrote the DFB. So far there has been no hygiene officer in Mannheim. "We don't have any tests with us yet, we don't have any test sticks yet. That's why we haven't been able to do it yet and now we have to see how we can do it in a timely manner," said Waldhof Managing Director Markus Kompp.
The 3rd league at the DFB
Open letter from FC Carl Zeiss Jena
Open letter from 1. FC Magdeburg
