Dhe FSV Mainz 05 has been affected by a severe corona outbreak for the second time this Bundesliga season and will not play against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday. “This morning we applied to the DFL for a postponement. The reason is that as of today we still have 14 players who are fit for action, but none of them are Bundesliga goalkeepers who are eligible to play,” said sports director Christian Heidel on Friday at a press conference, which was held digitally instead of in person after the numerous positive cases. In the afternoon, the German Football League (DFL) approved the application. The game is now to be rescheduled on Wednesday, March 16, from 6:30 p.m.
“It’s a bit difficult to play a Bundesliga game with such a squad,” said Heidel, who represented head coach Bo Svensson, who also tested positive for Corona, and spoke about the reasons why Mainz were rescheduling the game against BVB scheduled for Sunday wanted to. In this Bundesliga season it is the first game that has to be postponed due to corona.
When asked, Heidel did not want to make a connection with the carnival this week. It is more likely that there were infections within the team around the away game at Union Berlin last weekend. A total of 19 people are affected, including Svensson, all three goalkeepers and a total of 13 players. Before the first matchday against RB Leipzig, Mainz had already had a severe corona outbreak: The Svensson team then played the game with an emergency team and even won 1-0.
But now you’ve been hit even harder, Heidel clarified. “Everyone is fine. There are a select few who have cold symptoms,” Heidel said. This also includes the Danish head coach Svensson. It could also be tight for the guest appearance at FC Augsburg next Saturday (March 12) if not enough players are tested quickly and released by the doctors.
“We don’t test every day anymore”
An application for a transfer can be approved under the DFL rules of play if fewer than 16 players are available. Among them must be at least nine licensed players and among them one goalkeeper. Injured or banned actors count as available and not in the absences. Heidel spoke of 14 operational players as well as Alexander Hack and Dominik Kohr, who are suspended but are formally included in the list.
“We would somehow get a football team together. Whether that has anything to do with fair competition is another matter,” said Heidel. The extreme accumulation was noticeable after a player had developed corona symptoms and subsequently tested positive.
As a result, the Mainz team tested more closely. “If these symptoms hadn’t appeared, it would be very, very difficult to determine. We no longer test every day,” reported Heidel. Another case occurred in the coaching team on Friday morning. However, this is the 19th and not the 20th positive test. On Thursday there were initially only 18 instead of the 19 reported cases. It was “a mistake”.
