Bulls in the championship round

“Sharing points is simply not fair from a sporting point of view”

No fans of sharing points: Struber (l.) and Seonbuchner.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The Bulls will host the underdogs from Hartberg on Sunday (17) to kick off the championship round. Coach Gerhard Struber and sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner spoke about the Bundesliga format at a media event. Salzburg are not big fans of the points split.

With only a two-point lead over runner-up Sturm, league leaders Salzburg start the championship round in the Bundesliga tomorrow (17). The Bulls have their sights set on a home win against Hartberg to kick things off.

At the press conference on Friday, however, a different topic prevailed: the league format. If Austria had not introduced the points-sharing system, the gap between the serial champions and Graz would already be twice as large. "Salzburg have never benefited from sharing points," said sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner. Coach Gerhard Struber agreed with him: "I don't think much of the division because it's simply not fair from a sporting point of view. I'm of the opinion that the points you've earned should stay."

Pavlovic (center) and the Bulls face Hartberg.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

This is not the first time that the domestic system has been criticized. Numerous experts and former players have also voiced negative opinions. However, the format also has positive aspects for the Bulls. "The format is about more than just sharing points. The bottom line is that it's also about excitement. The twelve-team league and the group division have proven their worth. The overall development of the Bundesliga is going in a good direction," Seonbuchner is convinced. He also adds: "There are many people on the Bundesliga committee who are involved with the format. There is a lot of discussion and evaluation. We'll see what it looks like in the future."

Experience gained
Although Salzburg are disadvantaged by the points split, the Bavarian makes it clear: "This club has experience of the lead melting away."

In sporting terms, the team from Mozartstadt are certainly looking forward to the championship round with great anticipation. Struber knows: "We have to perform really well, give every game the necessary attention and not look so far ahead. If we develop a sense of fun and a good flow, things will go our way at the end of the season." Sporting director Seonbuchner, who is impressed with the path the team has taken in the spring, also believes this: "You can see from the facts that we have the best defense in the league. It's always good when you only concede a few goals. Our playful aspect is also clearly going in the right direction. We often talk about potential. For me, potential is what's left when the referee blows the whistle. It's only up to us."