Impending suspension for national player Laura Freigang: The thing with the third strike – Sport

Aon Wednesday evening again. During an attack, Laura Freigang sprinted towards the penalty area. When the ball came to her, she passed it to the right wing – and when it unexpectedly landed at her again, she casually sent it into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1. At that moment the balance of power turned against the FH Hafnarfjördur. A little more than half an hour later, the Eintracht Frankfurt footballers had reached the round of 16 of the European Cup thanks to a 4-1 (0-1) win.

The win against the Icelandic team was the sixth in a row. The Frankfurters have gained a lot of self-confidence, especially before the top game in the Bundesliga this Saturday (5:45 p.m., ARD live stream) against defending champions Bayern Munich. And Laura Freigang has always played herself into the spotlight. Since the start of the new season, the striker has scored eight goals in eleven games. It almost seems like this is her way of dealing with the difficult situation she still finds herself in.

At the beginning of June it became known that Freigang had committed formal errors in three doping tests within twelve months. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) soon confirmed three “strikes” during Germany’s World Cup qualifier against Norway, in which the 44-time international player was not part of the squad – for sporting reasons, according to national coach Christian Wück. “We thought about it for a long time because she has experience, but at the moment we can’t use her to help us on the pitch,” he said at the time. Freigang is still not suspected of doping, the tests are said to have been negative. But failure to report doping samples can also result in suspensions. In this case it is said to be an alleged misunderstanding of the location information.

If things go badly, you’re out for two years. This is the maximum ban for three such offenses. Depending on the type of fault, a ban can be reduced; according to the regulations, it is still at least one year. However, if things go well, Freigang continues to play without restrictions: After proceedings have been initiated, violations can be checked. A strike can also be canceled again.

According to SZ information, that’s what it’s all about at the moment. The main discussion between the DFB, NADA and Freigang’s team is whether the third strike can be counted as such. The control in question is said to have been scheduled for a match day. But because a corresponding entry was missing, the inspectors rang the doorbell at the apartment whose address was in the app, where Freigang, as an athlete in the so-called “Registered Testing Pool” (RTP), has to provide location information for unannounced doping controls. As a national player, she is responsible for this. As they say, Freigang was tested late that day, but the strike still happened.

Freigang could be the last case in which it is up to the DFB whether one of its national players has to leave the field

The disciplinary procedure lies with the DFB, whose control committee examines the case and is responsible for legally determining whether there has been a violation and what sanction could be imposed. This procedure will soon change, regardless of Freigang’s case, because in September the DFB adjusted its statutes at an extraordinary Bundestag meeting. Until now, NADA had carried out all doping controls, but had handed over the so-called results management of a case to the DFB. From January 1, 2027, a new world anti-doping code will apply, then “this division will no longer be permitted. The legal consequences of violations will then no longer be decided by the DFB sports jurisdiction, but by an arbitration court,” the association wrote in a statement.

Freigang could be the last case in which it is up to the DFB’s legal authorities whether one of its most famous national players has to leave the field. And possibly for so long that her professional career would be significantly damaged – or could even be over at this level. Freigang is 28 years old and her contract with Eintracht Frankfurt expires at the end of this season. She could take legal action against a sanction from the DFB. So the matter could drag on for a while. When asked, the DFB said: “Due to the extensive facts and the complex medical and legal issues, the investigations by the DFB Control Committee are very time-consuming and are therefore still ongoing.”

In terms of sport, Laura Freigang seems to be ignoring the impending suspension and turning it into motivation. At the start of the season she was confirmed as Eintracht’s captain and the club is expressly behind her. Tactically, their role has changed, Freigang no longer plays primarily on the ten, but more offensively as part of a dual leadership. This inspired her performance and brought the striker back to the national team. “Their demeanor on the pitch, their presence on the pitch has changed,” said national coach Wück on Tuesday at the press conference before the next international matches against Australia and Japan (October 9th and 13th). DFB director Nia Künzer confirmed that Freigang was nominated despite the pending proceedings: “Laura is eligible to play. She has impressed with her sporting achievements and that’s why she’s there.”

And Freigang itself? After a post on Instagram, she said in one of her few statements on this topic in an interview with Hessischer Rundfunk in August: “I have great hope and good hopes that everything will end well. In that respect, everything is fine.”