Bischofshofen angry

Dispute over Grünau’s match against BSK continues

The BSK players have a tight program ahead of them.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

The current Westliga week offers plenty of dynamite. Bischofshofen feels disadvantaged by the scheduling of the match and is threatening to sue. In addition, BSK boss Patrick Reiter has denied the association members any expertise in the sport.

While St. Johann (near Imst) and Wals-Grünau (in Schwaz) are already in action in the Regionalliga West on Wednesday, Bischofshofen have to play in Altach (17) on Thursday. On Saturday at 15:30, 46.5 hours later, the duel for an ÖFB Cup ticket with Wals-Grünau will take place. As BSK have a long journey to Vorarlberg, they are not in a position to play to their full potential on Saturday. Wals-Grünau put a stop to a postponement to Sunday because their end-of-season party has been planned for weeks.

BSK manager Patrick Reiter therefore lodged a protest with the ÖFB. However, the ÖFB is not directly responsible. "The associations can make their own regulations for intra-association pairings," it says in the implementation regulations. Reiter therefore also sees personal reasons for the Salzburg Football Association not wanting to postpone Saturday's match to Sunday. "I'm really angry," says Reiter. Altach accommodated the Pongau team and suggested playing at 2pm. But from Reiter's point of view, that wouldn't improve things much. And the club would have to reorganize the bus, food, etc. for this.

He also complains about the implementation regulations, which state that "a day off must be observed between two compulsory dates". Shaking his head, the 51-year-old says: "Anyone who wrote something like that has no idea about soccer." Because for amateur players who have to work on the side, one day of regeneration is not enough.

He also threatens to file a lawsuit in the event of injuries on Saturday. Because the association has not given the players enough rest time. Because even in the Bundesliga, the following applies: "There must be two match-free days between competitive matches in national and/or international competitions." "If even the professionals from Red Bull Salzburg get two days off, how are the amateurs from BSK supposed to manage with one day off?" asks Reiter.