Corona risk: Mainzer Delano Burgzorg (from left) has a myocarditis.
Photo: imago images/Jürgen Kessler
Bo Svensson had rested his chin on his left hand, and wrinkles kept appearing on his forehead. The worried expression on the face of the FSV Mainz 05 coach on the day before the catch-up game against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday was all too understandable. Svensson, 42, was so affected by the Corona outbreak in the club that he could hardly climb the stairs at home at the weekend. Some players had it worse, most notably striker Delano Burgzorg. According to Svensson, the 23-year-old was diagnosed with “a slight inflammation of the heart muscle”. “For everyone who thinks that if you’re negative, then you’re also able to play, he’s the best example that it’s not like that.” The Dutchman now has “a break until further notice”, even if the corona virus is no longer with him is detectable.
The chain of infection triggered at the end of February – 20 people were affected, including 14 professionals – is still having an effect. “We tested the last players today, but they are at a very different level,” Svensson reported on Tuesday. Nevertheless, he relies on being reasonably competitive against the second from Dortmund. After the first major outbreak of corona before the start of the season, a Mainz team even defeated RB Leipzig on the first day of the game.
The coach tends to field mostly non-ill players and to take some from the U23 team that is successful in the regional league. Because this time only three infected people had no symptoms. The medical department of the association in particular advises caution. She has been cooperating with the University Hospital in Mainz for many years: Heart and pulse measurements there, even at the weekend, still revealed some significant abnormalities when the professionals were under stress.
The German Football League (DFL) only granted Mainz’s application to postpone the home game against Dortmund, which was originally scheduled for March 6, when all three goalkeepers, Robin Zentner, Finn Dahmen and Lasse Rieß, had tested positive by PCR. According to the rules of the game, the required 16 players must include “at least nine licensed players, including a goalkeeper”. For this reason, the DFL also canceled the Mainz appearance at FC Augsburg that was planned for last Saturday, which led to considerable atmospheric disturbances for both clubs.
Christian Heidel, Mainz sports director, suggests a change in the regulations. For him, the paragraphs no longer fit in the classification of injured and banned – because they are officially considered playable again. He therefore calls for a general rethink: “The health of the players must be the priority. Free testing is not always healthy.« He also does not understand why the DFL restarted the game so quickly, after all Dortmund no longer plays internationally.
The rapid resumption of play and the reintegration of recovered players has a method across all sports. It’s best to keep fit in quarantine, then quickly test negative – and on we go: Nordic combined athlete Eric Frenzel tried that at the Olympic Games in Beijing – and almost collapsed in the relay because the weakened body didn’t take the strain withstood. In the “Sportärztezeitung” published from Mainz, several renowned doctors warn against returning to competitive sports too quickly after a Covid infection.
Jochen Veit, team doctor of the Iserlohn Roosters ice hockey club, has examined a corona outbreak more closely. His findings are alarming, and the dangers of permanent heart damage are real. Veit considers it “highly dangerous” to only resume training on the basis of negative corona tests. He sharply criticized the common practice at the European Handball Championship of using the players again in the tournament: “The risk would be far too great for me. I don’t want to be responsible for someone later having an arrhythmia or collapsing on the pitch.” You can follow the recommendation of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention, which recommends a break of two weeks even if the course is asymptomatic. This should also apply to competitive athletes. No matter how fit they were before.
