ÖFB Cup Final: Will the Big “Corona” Challenge Succeed?

Professional football will be up and running again in Austria on Friday.

Because of the corona virus pandemic, the UNIQA ÖFB Cup final in Klagenfurt between Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Lustenau on Friday (from 8:45 p.m. in the LIVE ticker) will take place under unusual conditions. Only 200 people, including players, may attend the first European Cup final after the Corona break.

Each finalist was granted a contingent of 42 people, so there was little scope for selection. Many people close to the club therefore have to switch to TV broadcasting this time, just like politicians or VIPs often seen at final matches.

Even the ÖFB, as the final organizer, tried to keep its own contingent as small as possible. ÖFB President Leo Windtner, team boss Franco Foda, managing director Bernhard Neuhold and general secretary Thomas Hollerer will be there. “It is a different situation than in previous years, we have to face it and make the best of it,” said Neuhold in the APA interview.

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Corona circumstances: “Definitely a big challenge”

Instead of security, fans, traffic or hospitality, the focus this time is on the topics of health, distance and preventive measures.

Attention must be paid to many small details in order to best implement the prevention concept negotiated by the Bundesliga and the ÖFB with the government. “This is definitely a big challenge because it is an endgame and will bring special emotions,” Neuhold is aware.

Keeping them in check will not only be difficult when celebrating the goal, but especially after the title has been fixed. “We will do everything possible to respect the distance rules. We will still have an impact on the two teams in Klagenfurt before and after the game,” said Neuhold.

Salzburg has made seven finals in the past nine years, winning the title six times. Lustenau, on the other hand, is fighting for the first triumph in the second finale. “Salzburg has probably crumbled there, but if it is the other way around, I don’t know if everyone can keep it in check. I would not want to guarantee that now, but awareness and efforts are of course also with us,” said Lustenau’s sports director Bernd Boesch.

“This is not a sure-fire success”

The organizers do not dispense with a victory celebration. The winner can lift the cup, which is 70 centimeters high, weighs 12 kilograms and is handmade from 38 individual parts. The medal handover and the winning photo, all taking into account the distance rules, are also planned. The otherwise almost mandatory beer showers will clearly be missing.

“We want to do the balancing act between a worthy final event and compliance with the current rules when dealing with each other. This is not a sure-fire success, but I believe that creativity can be found with a bit of creativity,” said Neuhold. The ÖFB heads therefore smoked until the day of the game.

Cup finals in the car cinema instead of in the stadium

This time the fans only have the opportunity to keep their fingers crossed from a distance. In Salzburg you can follow the game in the open-air area at the exhibition center via the drive-in cinema (200 parking spaces). “Special situations require special solutions. I hope that our team will win, so that in many years there will still be talk of this Cup triumph of the Red Bulls that you once witnessed in the drive-in cinema,” said Salzburg’s Managing Director Stephan Reiter.

In Lustenau, forms of public viewing were also an issue. “But after consulting with the community, we decided to let it go because there are simply risks. We are just happy that we can play football again, that this final is taking place and we don’t want to overuse it,” said Bösch.

His club recently started the cup final challenge in times of Corona. With ticket revenue from three different categories (10, 20 or 50 euros), 50 percent of traditional Austrian amateur clubs are also supported. “The response is great. We won’t sell 30,000 tickets now, but there will be a few thousand,” said Bösch.

The ÖFB decided not to take any action related to the final. “We have also been confronted with many offers and initiatives, but have deliberately said that we do not want to go overboard,” said Neuhold. One might have given the wrong signal or two. “Then maybe it would have said: Now they want to achieve an additional economic benefit by promoting commercial interests.”

Text source: © LAOLA1.at

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