'We are not happy with how the health office dealt with this': LASK president hits out at Austrian government after forcing their 'match of the century' against Manchester United behind closed doors due to coronavirus
* LASK's Europa League game against Man United will be played without fans
* Mounting coronavirus fears have been causing havoc in the world of sport
* The Austrian government will only let 500 people attend the Europa League tie
* LASK president Dr Siegmund Gruber claims the decision has cost them £875k
Manchester United's Europa League opponents LASK Linz are unhappy that their 'match of the century' in Austria on Thursday must be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus alert, and estimate the decision will cost them £875,000.
The Austrian government has put a limit of 500 on the number of people attending the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Linzer Stadion, including staff and officials from both clubs, meaning none of the 900 United fans who bought tickets will be able to attend.
LASK president Dr Siegmund Gruber criticised the decision, claiming it does not fall into line with other European countries and has left his club scrambling to change their plans.
'They put the city of Linz under pressure by limiting it to 500 people, and that includes journalists, staff, ball boys,' he said. 'Why 500? I don't understand this either. In Germany it was 1,000. I was at Leipzig (v Tottenham) and they played in front of more than 40,000. So the whole communication and situation, I am not very happy with that.
'They passed these measures inside 24 hours which is not a lot of time. In Germany they played as normal. In other countries, like Italy, the situation is different.
'It's the first time for us to face such a situation and it's a pretty big challenge for our staff. In terms of tickets, we will try to refund all of them but it will take some time so stick with us.
'It's been a really busy week for us, and next week travel to Manchester. We understand it's a delicate situation. In terms of communication and handling of this, we are not so happy about how the health office has dealt with this.'
LASK will be forced to play against Manchester United behind closed doors on Thursday after measures by the Austrian government to tackle the coronavirus.The club are estimated to lose £875,000 as a result of the Austrian government's decision
Asked how much it has cost the Austrian club, Dr Gruber added: 'I don't know exactly but I guess around €1million in food, ticketing and sponsors who can't present themselves.
'It would have been a reward for the people and city to stage this match, and it's a pity it can't take place. I would have loved to see the atmosphere, and it would have been our last big match here – unless we beat United, of course.'
The LASK chief still expects next week's second leg in Manchester to go ahead as planned but admitted that is open to change too.
'I can't say anything about what it will be like in Manchester,' he added. 'At the moment there are no problems. At the moment, we travel there but things change day by day.'
LASK are playing in the knockout phase of European competition for the first time after losing a Champions League qualifier to Club Brugge – United's opponents last time out – in the summer and then topping a difficult Europa League group that included Bruno Fernandes' Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg.
Their French coach Valerien Ismael, who faced United as a player during a brief spell at Crystal Palace in 1998, still believes Thursday's game will be a huge occasion for his players.
'It's the match of the century,' said Ismael. 'We will have to play without our family and friends but we are composed and focused. The positive thing is it that the game takes place. We focus on our opponent and we are highly motivated.
'It's a real highlight for us and a challenge to play against one of world's biggest teams. We are the underdog but we are looking forward to match.
'They are a great team. They have in every position two, three or four players of the same high quality. They are very strong but maybe what is to our advantage is that they underestimate us and the situation. They don't know us and this could help us.'
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