There is currently no uniform test system in the basketball Bundesliga.
It is not mandatory for the 18 clubs to carry out regular PCR tests to identify possible corona cases in their teams.
But that should now be mandatory.
Because the Fraport Skyliners show how important PCR tests are to get a valid picture in a tense situation.
In the past week, the Frankfurters tested their players daily on a voluntary basis. And almost every day there was a new case of infection. By last Friday there were a total of five. The away game against Göttingen on Saturday had to be postponed because the Skyliners, who had no new cases up to Sunday, only had seven playable players and therefore one too few. A total of four matches could not be played on the past match day due to corona.
After the Frankfurt international Lukas Wank became infected before the away game against Gießen (90:79) on January 2nd, the Skyliners are now doing at least one PCR test per week on all players in addition to regular quick tests. The players now affected are all double-vaccinated and partially boosted. So far, all courses have been mild. The people of Frankfurt do not know where the player who was first infected in the previous week was infected.
However, given the information they have, they assume that the transmission of the virus cannot have taken place during training. That's why the Skyliners, who claim high hygiene standards for themselves, are not planning any new precautionary measures. The Frankfurters are not holding any team training these days, only the healthy players are practicing individually. At the beginning of this week it will be determined how to proceed. According to the existing rules, the infected players can test themselves free after five days, provided they have no symptoms.
Frankfurt is currently behind in game operations with two matches.
Yannick Binas expects that there will be more game cancellations across the league in the future, which the managing director believes is “almost unavoidable”.
However, he does not see the continuation of the Bundesliga season in danger.
With the boosters and the recovered status of more and more players, they are "hopefully immune," says Binas.
He also does not want to speak of a distortion of competition due to the increasing number of missed games.
“There is equality of arms.
It will be difficult for a club to be spared from it.” For the clubs in the relegation battle, to which Frankfurt belongs, the season could come to a bitter end due to the many imponderables – unless the league would not do its rule with two relegated teams this time use.