Austria-bound Hannover 96 opt for anti-FSME jabs
Hannover 96 coach Mirko Slomka said today (Mon) all squad members will be vaccinated against FSME (tick-borne encephalitis) as the team hold a pre-season training camp in Austria.Slomka explained he decided to get all players vaccinated ahead of the eight-day-long camp taking place in Bad Radkersburg, Styria, from 19 July as many runs through forests were planned.Austrian national defender Emanuel Pogatetz, who joined the German Bundesliga club from Middlesbrough FC recently, approved the decision.”Ticks are a big problem in Austria. Im already vaccinated against FSME, and this step just proves that my new club acts in a very professional way,” he said.Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger was sidelined after a tick bite for two months in 2007, while ex-Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Zoltan Sebescen and former VfB Stuttgart defender Thomas Schneider had to retire due to a tick bite.There were 79 cases of FSME in Austria last year, of which 12 occurred in Styria.Hannover 96 will play Turkish top-flight side Gençlerbirliği S.K. which are managed by former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Doll in Bad Radkersburg on 26 July.