RB Leipzig will not be able to play their round of 16 first leg in the Champions League on February 16 in their home stadium.
Because of the current corona protective measures of the federal government, the opponent FC Liverpool with coach Jürgen Klopp is not allowed to enter Germany.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) announced on Thursday evening that the federal police had rejected the application for a special permit. “The Federal Police informed the association that the described constellation does not fall under the exceptional circumstances of the Corona Protection Ordinance,” explained the Federal Ministry of the Interior. (The Champions League schedule)
UEFA recently asked the Saxons to clarify this quickly.
Mintzlaff: “Subject gives us stomach ache”
After SID-Information is now quickly knitted on plan B in Leipzig. “This is a topic that gives us a bit of stomach ache,” said managing director Oliver Mintzlaff last.
UEFA had given the club until February 8 to arrange a rescheduling or an alternative venue if the Leipzig arena could not be played. An exchange of home rights with Liverpool would also be possible, in which case the second leg would be played in Germany – which, however, would be a disadvantage for Liverpool.
If it is not possible to move the game to another location or to a point in time after the entry regulations expire, the game will be counted as lost. A move into the quarter-finals would be almost impossible with this mortgage. From an RB perspective, this must be avoided at all costs.
Looking for the king of the league! Register for the SPORT1 prediction game now
It would be a good idea to play the game in the stadium of the Austrian sister club Red Bull Salzburg. Press spokesman Christian Kircher, however, said that Passauer Neue Pressethat such things are “not known” there.
Salzburg will also play against Spanish representative FC Villarreal on February 18. “The Europa League has a different branding than the Champions League, the stadium has to be prepared accordingly a day or two before the game – and the lawn has to be in top condition,” said Kircher.
Liverpool twice ahead of Leipzig?
The English Sportsmail reported on Thursday that there is already an emergency plan for this scenario. This would provide for both matches to be played in a stadium in London.
That would mean that the reigning English champions would not have to leave the island and could play both games on home soil.
Test DAZN for free and experience international football highlights live & on demand | DISPLAY
It is not yet known which of the numerous London stadiums will be considered for this project.
The debate is not new to Liverpool. Even before the end of the group stage against the Danish champions FC Midtjylland, the location of the event was questionable for a long time. After all, it was possible to play in Denmark on December 9th, and the Reds made it into the round of 16 with a 1-0 win.
–
