2024-05-03 16:25:18
VfL Osnabrück’s game against Schalke 04 had to be postponed. New venue: Hamburg. But Osnabrück has another plan.
The confusion surrounding the second division game between VfL Osnabrück and Schalke 04 is entering the next round. As Osnabrück announced on Friday, the game on Tuesday will take place without fans. The club indirectly blamed Schalke’s guests. “VfL Osnabrück has examined alternative locations, especially while protecting the interests of fans, and suggested them as an option. FC Schalke 04 has not agreed to these fan-friendly alternatives, the game must now take place completely without spectators,” said the “Purple-Whites”.
FC St. Pauli announced on Friday that for “various reasons no spectators can be admitted”. However, Schalke rejected alternatives such as Bremen or Hanover because some fans had already booked train tickets to Hamburg. These are now no longer applicable because the duel takes place without spectators.
What happened?
The game planned for Saturday in the Osnabrück stadium on the Bremer Bridge was canceled because defects were found in the stadium roof that made further use impossible. Osnabrück wanted to postpone the game between the last two matchdays, but Schalke was against it because that would have been a competitive disadvantage in the relegation battle.
Yesterday, Thursday, the DFL announced that the game would be rescheduled for next Tuesday. The duel will take place at FC St. Pauli’s Millerntor in Hamburg.
“We ask ourselves that question too”
However, Osnabrück announced: “VfL is clarifying the questions arising from the decision and is examining further fan-friendly options.” In a statement from managing directors Philipp Kaufmann and Dr. Michael Welling also said: “We received a positive reaction from FC Schalke 04 to the more fan-friendly approach, which we are now pursuing as agreed.”
The problem: Schalke 04 didn’t want to hear about approval. On Platform X, a fan asked why Osnabrück claimed that the “miners” had agreed. Communications director Marc Siekmann responded: “We’re asking ourselves that question too.”
This was followed by the next turning point in a unique saga.