Regensburg (dpa/lby) - After turbulent days in the course of the transfer failure involving attacker Sarpreet Singh, coach Mersad Selimbegovic at SSV Jahn Regensburg is trying to focus the team entirely on the away game at 1. FC Magdeburg. "You have to try to top it up. It's possible to score there, but it won't be that easy in this stadium," said Selimbegovic before the game this Sunday (1.30 p.m. / Sky) against the bottom of the table. The Jahn is four points ahead of the promoted team.
The Regensburgers were able to stop their negative run before the international break with a 2-0 win against FC St. Pauli. But then there was the resignation of sporting director Roger Stilz in the free time and then the fuss about the long-injured ex-Bayern player Singh, for whom the sporting management forgot something to apply for eligibility to play. The New Zealand international will only be able to play for Jahn in the new year.
This embarrassing faux pas in professional business is also a huge annoyance for Selimbegovic. "It was a hard blow. We already know what qualities Singh has," said the Jahn coach, who was not responsible for the failure, on Friday. Especially since the club had taken the risk with Singh because he had signed the attacker despite an injury. "It's a difficult situation for him. But he's a very smart guy who gets things done," Slimbegovic noted.
His eyes are on the continuation of the season. "You have to focus on what counts, to prepare the team for this complicated game in Magdeburg in the best possible way. That's my job as a coach," he said of dealing with the unpleasant situation for the club. "It's not nice when you have something like that in the club, but you have to hide that and look ahead," said Selimbegovic. Central defender Steve Breitkreuz is suspended in Magdeburg.
