Before the European Championship qualifiers in Vienna

Spain’s basketball players caught without a ticket

Sarah Schicher and Co. welcome Spain on Thursday.(Bild: Basketball Austria/Martin Pröll)

Austria's women's basketball team will face Spain in the European Championship qualifiers at the Hallmann Dome in Favoriten on Thursday (7pm). The players from the south wanted to explore Vienna's city center on Wednesday, but made the unpleasant acquaintance of the "Schwarzkappler".

They had a ticket. But only for one direction. After Spain's basketball players had visited St. Stephen's Cathedral and other sights in the first district, they took the public transport back to their hotel on the Wienerberg. But the return journey cost the Spanish association dearly. The team had inadvertently only bought a ticket for a one-way journey and set off on the return journey in the belief that they had a valid ticket. This was not the case, as they found out painfully during a check by the "Schwarzkappler".

No more chance for Austria
Austria's women's national team concludes its qualification campaign for the 2025 European Championship with a home game against Spain (Thursday, February 6, 7 p.m., Hallmann Dome) and an away game in Croatia (Sunday, February 9, 7.30 p.m.). Although head coach Chris O'Shea's team no longer has a chance of making it to the finals in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Greece, the Austrians are looking to reward themselves this time after strong performances in November and are hoping for a much-desired eighth-place finish. The Spaniards have already suffered one "defeat" in Vienna . . .