GManaging Director Oliver Mintzlaff from RB Leipzig reacted very emotionally to the criticism of lawn ball sports in the course of the debate about the canceled round of 16 in the Europa League against Spartak Moscow. “Then there’s always quick shooting. And then the question for me is: what do I want to achieve with it? Do I want to serve the cliché that RB Leipzig is just a construct and only wants to make money? And just wants to push his brand. Then I can only shake my head, ”said Mintzlaff on Tuesday.
During the press conference before the DFB Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday (6.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup, as well as on Sport1 and Sky) at the second division club Hannover 96, tears welled up in the 46-year-old’s eyes. “Everything here has affected us too. We were also extremely busy. And I’m also emotionally attacked. And then, of course, when you read so much shit, it’s sometimes the case that you ask yourself: how sick is that?”
Mintzlaff’s club was recently criticized after RB had not publicly advocated a boycott of the games against Moscow. On Monday, the European Football Union (UEFA) banned all of the country’s teams from their competitions because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. As a result, the round of 16 games planned for Leipzig on March 10th and 17th were canceled, and lawn ball sports are in the quarterfinals without a fight.
Request to UEFA
Mintzlaff explained that the people of Leipzig only now spoke up with the joint approach with UEFA. Mintzlaff got in touch with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin after last Friday’s draw. He informed the managing director of Rasenballsport Leipzig that UEFA, as the organizer of the Europa League, wanted to make the decision.
Mintzlaff said he then pushed for a decision on Sunday, with Ceferin pointing to Monday’s executive committee meeting. Mintzlaff also emphasized “that of course we spoke to Aleksander Ceferin and said: ‘We can’t play under the conditions. And we are now asking UEFA to support us here.’ If that hadn’t been the case, we would of course have made our own decision.”
In addition, Mintzlaff also coordinated his approach with Donata Hopfen, the new managing director of the German Football League (DFL). “We also spoke to the DFL about it. And the DFL also said: ‘This is absolutely the right way. Go with UEFA and Aleksander Ceferin.’ That felt good to us and that feels good in retrospect as well. Otherwise I could just sit here and say: ‘No, what we did here really sucked.’ And we don’t see it that way.”
After the headwind for RB Leipzig, Mintzlaff also criticized the media. “If I were a journalist, I would have asked: Why is there a football game at all if there is a war? That’s the question,” he said: “Why does this take place and that take place? Those are questions that we could all ask ourselves again. Whether we can play football games at all in the current situation.
Markus Gisdol, former Lokomotiv Moscow coach, also resigned after Russia attacked Ukraine. “For me, football coaching is the best job in the world. But I can’t pursue my vocation in a country whose leader is responsible for a war of aggression in the middle of Europe,” said the 52-year-old of the picture: “That doesn’t match my values.”
The long-time Bundesliga coach only took up the post in seventh place in the table in October. “I can’t stand on the training ground in Moscow, train the players, demand professionalism and a few kilometers away orders are given that bring great suffering to an entire people. It’s my personal decision and I’m absolutely convinced of it,” said Gisdol. The former Bundesliga professional Marvin Compper is now to look after the team as interim coach for the games in the Russian Premier League and in the cup, announced the capital city in a three-line message.
