The second division game between VfL Osnabrück and FC Schalke 04 will be played as planned by the German Football League (DFL) on Tuesday (6.30 p.m.) in the Millerntorstadion in Hamburg – without spectators. The Lower Saxony announced this on Friday.
It was necessary to reschedule the match because structural defects were discovered on the roof of the stadium at the Bremer Bridge and the city of Osnabrück had issued a temporary ban on use.
Dispute between VfL and S04 over an alternative venue
VfL’s announcement on Friday afternoon was preceded by a dispute between the two clubs after the DFL’s announcement. They announced on Thursday that the encounter would take place on Tuesday (May 7th, 6:30 p.m.) in Hamburg. Until recently, the “purple-whites” had been looking for alternatives.
Due to the short time and the possible promotion to the first division this weekend, those responsible at FC St. Pauli were unable to organize the game with spectators. Osnabrück therefore tried to find another venue where spectators could also have been admitted. With the stadiums in Bremen and Hanover, two alternatives were ultimately presented, which were rejected by Schalke.
The Lower Saxony team examined these alternatives “while protecting the interests of the fans and suggested them as an option,” as VfL managing directors Philipp Kaufmann and Michael Welling announced. FC Schalke “did not agree to these more fan-friendly alternatives, the game must now take place completely without spectators.”
VfL would have preferred a different solution
The consent from Gelsenkirchen would have been necessary in order to change the venue. In the statement, VfL expresses that it “does not understand the reasons for this”. They “wanted a different solution in the interests of the fans, but accepted FC Schalke 04’s decision.”
There was initially no reaction from Schalke to the allegations. On Wednesday, the “Royal Blues” declared that they would agree to a game “on a neutral spot in the Bundesliga or 2nd Bundesliga”.
Both twelfth-placed Schalke and bottom-placed Osnabrück are still fighting to stay in the second division. Schalke therefore categorically rejected a later schedule between the 33rd and 34th matchdays. This would have given Osnabrück more time to take measures in its own stadium or to look for alternatives.
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Sports current | May 3, 2024 | 12:17 p.m