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Lottery drum? More like a look into the crystal ball. Some national associations have only reached their quarter-finals in their cup competitions
Source: pa / augenklick / firo Sportphoto / Ralf Ibing
The first round of the DFB Cup will be determined this Sunday evening. It takes place before the start of the season. 23 participants have not yet been determined. And the corona crisis makes it even more bizarre.
Pokal draw differently, this Sunday evening it will take place. When the first round of the DFB Cup from 6.30 p.m. is determined live from the ARD “Sports Show” studio in Cologne, excitement is guaranteed – but the consequences of the corona pandemic also play along cheerfully. Because many cup participants from the lower football classes have not yet been decided, on the other hand, the representatives of the small clubs may not be there – as usual – crowded in the German Football Museum in Dortmund due to the corona rules.
Where the game will ultimately be played is likely to be unclear for the time being. Because this time it is not guaranteed that the amateur teams, as usual, are automatically at home. The DFB’s strict hygiene concept is simply not enforceable at some venues. Then the home right could be exchanged. It is also possible that the amateur clubs, which cannot implement the concept, move to the nearby stadiums of professional teams. All potential clubs must name a venue by mid-August.
The president of the German Football Association, Fritz Keller, and the deputy general secretary of the DFB, Heike Ullrich, draw the lots. 23 out of 64 clubs for the first main round have not yet been decided – placeholders will be used for the draw. It can be something.
Some teams have only reached the cup quarter-finals
The first cup round is scheduled to take place from September 11th to 14th, one week before the start of the season in the Bundesliga and Second Division. The second round takes place shortly before Christmas (December 22/23). There are also fixed dates for the round of 16 (February 2 and 3, 2021) and quarter finals (March 2 and 3).
The semi-finals should not take place during the week as usual, but on the first weekend in May. Also unusual: The final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium is not planned for a Saturday evening, but was set on Thursday, May 13th (Ascension Day).
The 36 first and second division teams of the 2019/20 season are already qualified. In addition, the promoted Würzburger Kickers and Eintracht Braunschweig come from the past third league season. FC Ingolstadt and MSV Duisburg are also there, as is 1. FC Magdeburg. Reason: The state cup in Saxony-Anhalt was canceled, the association has chosen Magdeburg as a participant.
Most of the other participants are still determined in the cup finals of the national associations. The problem: Because of the Corona break, not only were the finals postponed, there are even more laps to go. Hamburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saarland and Württemberg lag the furthest behind, where the teams have only reached the quarter-finals.
Here you will find our live ticker with all relevant updates on the Corona crisis.
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