The DFB has called off this weekend’s 1st round cup tie between Schalke 04 and FC Schweinfurt 05 because a court in Munich has decided that Turkgucu Munchen should be playing the team from the Ruhr instead. In a “you couldn’t make it up” kind of scenario the Bayerische Fussball Verband, which runs the amateur game in Bavaria lost a legal battle against Turkgucu, throwing the tie into confusion and leaving the DFB with little alternative but to postpone the game until the courts have decided who has the right to represent the BFV.
When the draw for the cup was made Schalke were paired against the best amateur team in Bavaria. However the BFV had called the season off once the Coronavirus pandemic hit and declared that the team leading the Regionalliga Bayern, then Turkgucu, were champions and would be promoted into the 3. Liga for the 2020/21 season. Consequently the team previously in second, but now leading the Regionalliga, Schweinfurt, were placed into the draw for the cup.
However Turkgucu filed a suit claiming that they should have that place and the regional court in Munich agreed with them. The BFV have logged an appeal against the decision, but it was impossible to get that heard before the weekend, plunging the tie into uncertainty. As a consequence, and much to Schalke’s annoyance, the game has been postponed.
This is one of the more numerous fallouts of the Coronavirus epidemic and the hurried decisions made by the football authorities when nobody knew when football would be starting up again. Also it had to involve Schalke, a club which never fails to attract attention or incident.
Comments