Sabitzer, Alaba, and Hinteregger barred from Austria-Scotland
Austria's FA confirmed on Monday that German Bundesliga clubs would not release their internationals for next week's World Cup Qualifier in Scotland.
| Marcel Sabitzer. | Photo: Steindy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Journalists working for various German media outlets spent the beginning of their week contacting representatives from various clubs. The country's preeminent footballing publication, "Kicker", published articles confirming that large clubs like Bayern, Dortmund, and Gladbach are all considering travel bans "on a case-by-case basis."
In what is likely only the beginning of many official confirmations this week, on Monday it was revealed that David Alaba (Bayern), Martin Hinteregger (Frankfurt), and Marcel Sabitzer (Leipzig) will not be traveling to Scotland to participate in their nation's WMQ match next week. This was confirmed by Austria's FA (ÖFB).
The ÖFB disclosed that it had written letters to the three Bundesliga clubs requesting releases for the matches, only to be denied. The organization considered moving the match, but didn't wish to run afoul of the Scottish FA or UEFA.
At present, it is not clear whether Bundesliga Austrian internationals will be permitted to participate in the country's other qualifying matches in Vienna, a March 28th fixture against the Faroe Islands and a March 31st date with Denmark.
