SPort boss Christian Keller has vented his anger about the circumstances surrounding the relocation of the Bundesliga derby at Bayer Leverkusen in the coming week, while criticizing the Rhenish rivals and the German Football League. “No one here wants to know what the processes are like, otherwise one or the other will lose faith in the integrity of the competition,” said Keller, himself a member of the DFL supervisory board, after the 1-0 loss to SC Freiburg.
The game in Leverkusen will take place next Friday (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN), it was originally scheduled for Sunday. As a result, Leverkusen have two days more to prepare for the Europa League semi-final first leg at AS Roma.
“I wonder why was nothing moved last year when Frankfurt played for the Europa League? Bayern Munich plays for an international title almost every year, so I’ve never seen a game be postponed,” said Keller: “Everyone comes at some point and says: Come on, we have an important game, let it go for overriding reasons embarrassed.”
The “overriding reasons” with which the transfer was explained are more about health for him. He recalled that Cologne had to play against Hoffenheim about 48 hours after the Conference League game in Slovacko last year and that striker Florian Dietz tore his cruciate ligament in this game of all things. “I can’t explain that to anyone internally either,” said Keller: “And I don’t want that either.”
“You can ask”
But what annoys him the most are the circumstances. “We as playing partners were the very last to be involved when the number was more or less through,” said Keller in the direction of the DFL and probably Bayer in particular: “We were the last to be called. If you call us first, I might give different answers now. Normally we would have gone along with it without complaining too much. But because of the process and the way I don’t understand it and I don’t think it’s good either.”
Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart was also clearly annoyed, but he avoided the whole thing. At first he was silent for a long time when asked, then he said: “People who know me very well know what’s going on inside me. But I think even I sometimes have to learn not to comment on everything. And I won’t do that either.” But Baumgart didn’t want to resist a tip. When Freiburg coach Christian Streich spoke about the cup semifinals on Tuesday (8:45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup, on ZDF and on Sky) against Leipzig, he asked: “And you can do it in such a short preparation time? You can ask.”
But Keller made it clear that two things were unaffected by everything. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed for Leverkusen that they progress and ideally win the Europa League because that would be really important for German football,” said Keller. Of course, the training week changes a bit. But in the end that won’t be the decisive factor as to whether we’ll play the game successfully.”
Leverkusen rejected Cologne’s criticism the day after. “I cannot understand the accusation that the integrity of the competition is being questioned. Of course, we would have supported it from our side if FC or any other German club were now in the semi-finals of a European competition and had asked for a transfer. A move forward is of immense importance to us with regard to the game in Rome,” said Bayer’s sporting director Simon Rolfes on Sunday.
Like Rolfes, Fernando Carro also asked for understanding for the transfer. “In this formally flawless process, we found a good solution for us and ultimately for German football together with the DFL, the TV partner DAZN and the authorities. I really appreciate Christian Keller as a colleague. If he and his teammates at FC have the feeling that they were informed too late, then I regret that,” said Bayer’s sporting director.
