Suspension of Rapid Goalkeeper Hedl Confirmed

The protest committee of the Football Bundesliga confirmed on Friday the suspension of Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl for one match. As a result, the 23-year-old will miss the away match against LASK on Sunday, with Paul Gartler taking his place in goal. Hedl was initially penalized by the league's Senate 1 for an allegedly provocative gesture directed at Austria fans during the derby.

Reaction from Rapid

The verdict was met with strong criticism from the Hütteldorf club. "SK Rapid maintains that both the report and the sanction against the green-white goalkeeper are completely incomprehensible. All possible legal remedies against the decision of the protest committee are being carefully examined," the club stated in a release.

Even before the protest committee's decision was announced, coach Robert Klauß commented on the matter. "We have to deal with an issue that has nothing to do with sports and makes no sense to anyone. No one benefits from it, everyone is damaged. There is no one who comes out of this situation well."

Video of Hedl

The report was filed based on a video showing Hedl briefly touching his groin. That a suspension could result from this recording is incomprehensible to Klauß. "I believe everyone who has seen this video has now formed their opinion," said the coach, adding that Hedl has coped well with the turmoil of the past few days, "because he is a calm, reflective person. But of course, it concerns him, just as it concerns us."

(APA/Red)

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