For Rapid, the events following the 3-0 derby win against Wiener Austria have some serious consequences. On Monday, the Bundesliga’s Penalty Senate imposed unconditional penalties on all officials and players involved and imposed a conditional deduction of three points on the club. Affected are managing director Steffen Hofmann, assistant coach Stefan Kulovits as well as Guido Burgstaller, Marco Grüll, Thorsten Schick, Maximilian Hofmann and Niklas Hedl.
Steffen Hofmann was banned from working for two months for defamation (paragraph 111), one month of which was unconditional. Kulovits received a three-month suspension from work, one month of which was conditional, for discrimination (112). Burgstaller and Grüll were banned for six competitive games (three unconditional) for discrimination, and Thorsten Schick was banned for five games (two unconditional) for the same offense. Maximilian Hofmann and goalkeeper Niklas Hedl were banned for three games, one of them unconditional, for violating the principles of fair play (111a). This means that Rapid will have to replace five players in the decisive game for entry into the championship group on Sunday (5 p.m.) at Austria Klagenfurt. Captain Burgstaller and striker Grüll will be missing from Rapid until April.
The deduction of three points for discrimination (112) will be reviewed until March 4, 2026. “The Austrian Football Bundesliga is committed to the fight against discrimination of all kinds. The role model effect of footballers, coaches and officials goes beyond what happens on the green pitch,” said the Bundesliga in justifying the extensive penalties.
Not consistent with the league’s values
The Hütteldorfers defeated Austria 3-0 on February 25th and won a home derby for the first time in ten years. In the days that followed, disturbing videos emerged that had been recorded during the victory celebrations. First it became public that Steffen Hofmann was dishing it out heavily against his city rivals. Hours later, a recording showed and heard Kulovits and the five players singing homophobic chants against Austria together with fans.
“The content of the videos is in no way consistent with the values that football as a whole and the Austrian Football Bundesliga in particular stand for,” wrote the Bundesliga. “Both SK Rapid and the players have credibly stated that they are very sorry for the events. Senate 1 recognized this accordingly when assessing sentences by imposing partial sentences on all those involved. It should be emphasized, however, that the prescribed range of penalties for discriminatory statements or actions, on the one hand, documents the seriousness of the offense and, on the other hand, also makes clear the intention of the football legislature that such incidents must be decisively prevented. SK Rapid’s catalog of measures was assessed just as positively as the players’ willingness to actively participate in such awareness-raising workshops,” the league statement continued.
The seven Rapidlers involved also have to take part in three one-hour workshops in schools. After the scandal, Rapid announced that it would present a catalog of measures to combat homophobia and sexism. Club President Alexander Wrabetz and Vice President Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger will comment in detail on the “extremely tough decisions” according to the press release in a press conference on Tuesday (11 a.m.).
Complaint also against Heraf
The Criminal Senate also dealt with current incidents: Dominik Frieser (TSV Hartberg) and Pius Grabherr (Austria Lustenau) were each banned for one game following their exclusions at the weekend. Frieser was penalized for rough play, Grabherr for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity. In addition, a complaint was filed against Lustenau coach Andreas Heraf on suspicion of improper behavior towards players or other people. The complaint against Heraf was made based on video recordings after the game against Rapid, in which he threatened to slap a fan in an argument with a fan.
2024-03-05 01:10:51
#Hofmann #Grüll #derby #scandal #Bundesliga #bans #Rapid #players #games
