The Austrian Bundesliga could be set for a massive shakeup at the top of the table without a ball having been kicked in months.
Two weeks after 11 of the league's 12 teams accused Valérien Ismaël's side of disregarding rules restricting the size of training groups, LASK have been hit with a six-point deduction. The rules had been set in place by the country's Ministry of Sports as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint statement, the teams said they "dissociated from this behavior and will continue to adhere strictly to the government’s guidelines. The responsible and safe continuation of the Bundesliga competition remains a top priority.”
Austria Vienna's own statement expressed anger at the league leaders for acting outside the rules obeyed by everyone else. While other teams have worked hard to train safely in order to resume play as soon as possible, "everything is then torpedoed with such fatal actions" taken by LASK.
LASK had defeated Jesse Marsch's RB Salzburg, which will now hold a three-point lead in first after the ruling, in February just weeks before the shutdown began. Salzburg put out a statement declaring they were "shocked and stunned ... for many months we have been working so hard together ... obviously, not all clubs and individuals are aware of this great responsibility.”
After first claiming to be the victims of "industrial espionage" meant to sabotage the team, the club apologized and acknowledged it had broken the rules by holding team training sessions. The club has also been fined $83,000 for breaking "the basic idea of fair play." Should LASK see a potential appeal fail to change the outcome, Salzburg would be handed a massive boost in its hunt for a seventh consecutive league title.
