Augsburg reject RB Leipzig request for DFB-Pokal postponement
Citing this year's unprecedentedly congested schedule, both FC Bayern München and Bayer 04 Leverkusen have already obtained posptonements for their round two DFB-Pokal fixtures next week.
FC Augsburg managing director Stefan Reuter made clear on Monday that his club would not acquiesce to a similar demand from RB Leipzig.
Where does the slippery slope of DFB-Pokal match postponements end? Evidently, in Augsburg. FCA boss Stefan Reuter maintains that one of Germany's richer and deeper squads had no right to push his team around in such a fashion.
FC Augsburg managing director Stefan Reuter made clear on Monday that his club would not acquiesce to a similar demand from RB Leipzig.
"We expect to play Leipzig on December 22nd," Reuter insisted on Monday, "We're not doing this to be difficult. It's solely about the short notice, the enormous burden, and the risks involved."
Bundesliga clubs must face a tight program of six league fixtures in January. According to Reuther, adding a seventh would most unfairly shift the burden to his team over Leipzig.
"Teams like FC Augsburg don't have the squad depth to play seven games in a month," he said, "A postponement would be detrimental to us, which is why we couldn't agree to it. The issues would be shifted over to our side and we don't want that."
Reuther also noted that the Pokal postponements allow teams like Bayern, Leipzig, and Leverkusen to utilize freshly signed players from the January transfer window during a match that traditionally takes place over the first half of the season. "It's no longer as competitive," he noted.
Leipzig's timing rubbed Reuter the wrong way as well. Bayern and Leverkusen got their postponement requests in earlier in November, while Leipzig waited until December 14th. "It says in the statutes that you have to appeal immediately after the scheduling," he pointed out.
Without permission from Augsburg, it looks as if Leipzig will not obtain the postponement it seeks. The other two clubs were only able to shift their fixtures when their opponents granted them dispensation. The final decision still rests with the DFB match committee, but Reuther hinted that he might file a quick lawsuit if the panel did not rule in Augsburg's favor.