A comment from AUSTRIA editor-in-chief and publisher Werner Schima.
It is a Disaster that was foreseeable: Against all concerns, Europe’s football association UEFA insisted on hosting the Champions League play-off between Red Bull Salzburg and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Though more than a dozen of the opponent’s players and officials tested Corona-positive. And although the country is in lockdown, Salzburg have been forced to play in Israel.
The invoice has now been presented: Three players have been infected and Austria’s football is damaged.
All that, because UEFA obviously places its greed for money above all health concerns and acts about as sensitively as US President Donald Trump in the matter of Corona.
The Salzburg scandal is not an isolated case. On September 24th, the European Association also held the Supercup final between Bayern Munich and FC Sevilla in front of 20,000 spectators in Budapest, which was badly hit by Corona. On October 1st, UEFA allowed international matches to be played in front of fans (30% of the stadium’s capacity).
After the serious corruption allegations against ex-boss Michel Platini put the UEFA on the new president Aleksander Ceferin. But with a new head, she delivers the next failure when it comes to Corona.
“Chase them away with the wet rag “, it would be said at the standing room. In this column, of course, it has to read: A complete reorganization of UEFA would be appropriate.
