Pitch unplayable: Gladau's return postponed
The scheduled Kreisoberliga match between the soccer club DSG Eintracht Gladau and SG Güsen/Parey II was not kicked off on Saturday. "The match was canceled due to the unplayability of the pitch," said the press spokesman for the Saxony-Anhalt Football Association (FSA), Robert Kegler, to the German Press Agency on Saturday. The club, which was banned from playing on November 8 due to allegations of right-wing extremist infiltration and incidents of violence, should now return to playing under strict conditions after the state association's court granted the club's urgent appeal last Wednesday.
At the beginning of November, FSA President Holger Stahlknecht denounced clear violations of the association's statutes and regulations. "The Saxony-Anhalt Football Association is thus sending a clear signal against right-wing extremism," the former Interior Minister of Saxony-Anhalt was quoted as saying in a press release.
For the time being, Eintracht Gladau is only allowed to continue playing in the KFV Jerichower Land because the club has committed itself to a 16-point list of conditions. Among other things, the club must play its home matches of the first and second men's teams in private. Flares of any kind, flags and pyrotechnics are prohibited on the entire sports ground and at away matches. Gladau matches must be refereed by the FSA with four referees from the regional division, and a neutral FSA observer must also draw up a report on his observations. The provisional orders of the association court are valid until the final decision on the exclusion from the association, which is to be made as soon as possible.
Despite the unplayable pitch, the soccer match between DSG Eintracht Gladau and SG Güsen/Parey II was canceled due to the club's past involvement in right-wing extremism. The club's return to playing under strict conditions highlights the Saxony-Anhalt Football Association's stance against extremism in the sport.
Source: www.dpa.com
