ÖFB
Because the German Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim sent the entire team to quarantine on Wednesday as a precautionary measure because of other CoV-infected players, Austria’s team player Christoph Baumgartner did not travel to the ÖFB team. How things will go on with the 21-year-old offensive man remains to be seen for the time being.
“We are in contact with the player and the club”, confirmed ÖFB press chief Iris Stöckelmayr. Whether Baumgartner can take part in the Nations League home games against Northern Ireland (Sunday) and Norway (Wednesday) depends not least on the official requirements. Both games can be seen live on ORF1 from 8.45 p.m.
Baumgartner, who should be spared against Luxembourg, is not the only Austrian to be affected by the “Hoffenheim lockdown”. With Stefan Posch and Florian Grillitsch, two other ÖFB team kickers are under contract with 1899. The former is injured anyway, Grillitsch had canceled Austria’s team boss Franco Foda for “personal reasons”.
Multiple positive coronavirus tests
Hoffenheim announced on Wednesday that the regular test on Tuesday evening had brought further positive results. Sebastian Rudy, Ishak Belfodil and a member of the coaching team received their positive results on Wednesday. Another test showed an inconclusive result and had to be repeated, it was said from Sinsheim.
Hoffenheim had to report two new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. Robert Skov (Denmark) and the ex-Salzburg Munas Dabbur (Israel) had tested positive on their national teams and are also in quarantine, as are Jacob Bruun Larsen and a member of the support team, who had to be isolated before last weekend. According to the latest news, goalkeeper Oliver Baumann had to leave the quarters of the German national team on Wednesday.
“We cannot explain the accumulation,” said Hoffenheim’s director of professional football Alexander Rosen. “We have been following the hygiene concept meticulously and conscientiously for months. So we got through the pandemic for months without a single positive case, which is now hard on us. “
