Bundesliga manager to miss his debut with team after breaking isolation to buy toothpaste
A coach in Germany’s Bundesliga will miss the league’s long-awaited return to action after breaking quarantine at his team’s hotel to buy toothpaste, the team announced Thursday.
Augsburg manager Heiko Herrlich was previously slated to make his debut as the team’s head coach against Wolfsburg. Now, he’ll have to await two coronavirus tests before he’s allowed to begin training again.
Heiko Herrlich will not support the team on Saturday due to a violation of the COVID protocol.
He regrets his mistake. In the next few days more corona tests will be carried out. After two negative test results, Heiko Herrlich will resume training at FC Augsburg. pic.twitter.com/RHII5uXVEj— FC Augsburg (@FCA_World) May 14, 2020
Herrlich admitted he made a mistake in a news conference, per the BBC:
"Even though I have followed all hygiene measures both when leaving the hotel and otherwise, I cannot undo this," he said. "In this situation, I was not able to act as a role model for my team and the public.
"I will therefore be consistent and stand by my mistake. Because of this misconduct, I will not be leading the training [on Friday] and will not be in charge of the team against Wolfsburg on Saturday."
Herrlich reportedly added he went to a supermarket after running out of toothpaste.
A strict quarantine plan was among the reasons the Bundesliga was allowed to return to action, and even the most simple of violations is cause for concern when most league’s plans to navigate the coronavirus is built on isolating its personnel.
The news is unwelcome for Augsburg for reasons on the field as well, as the squad is currently in 14th place in the Bundesliga standings and five points from the relegation zone.
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