From Hoffenheim to Crete: mishaps, tension and costly hotel prices

Before the start of the Europa League, TSG Hoffenheim travels to Crete on Thursday, where the first matchday against the Greek cup winners OFI Crete will be played. However, the journey is shadowed by breakdowns, delays and high hotel prices, as managing director Andreas Schicker emphasizes.

Expensive hotel prices and delayed arrival

Andreas Schicker, managing director of TSG Hoffenheim, explained with a slightly stingy look that hotel costs on Crete were “ample” and that a later arrival time in October or November would have been cheaper. At the same time, he criticised mass tourism, which drives the prices up.

The team left Karlsruhe later than planned, so the press conference had to be postponed by up to an hour. When the media round finally began, the start was delayed by about 70 minutes, and at the beginning coach Christian Ilzer and professional Wouter Burger were neither seen nor understood.

Coach Christian Ilzer emphasized at the later functioning press conference that the trip to Crete is not a vacation but a workplace, and that the goal is to play successfully in the Europa League.

Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann added that it’s not about enjoying the holiday destination, but about bringing one’s own game onto the pitch when you don’t know the opponent well.

OFI Crete as a strong opponent

OFI Crete, the reigning Greek cup winner and league leader after four matchdays, presents a serious challenge for the Hoffenheim side. The club from Heraklion has already shown that it is in strong form in the domestic league.

TSG Hoffenheim was already active in the Europa League in the 2024/25 season and had almost reached Champions League qualification after the Julian Nagelsmann era. Schicker sees the competition as a reward and expects an exciting league phase, while new signing Patrick Wimmer, with his physique, is expected to tear up the opposing defensive lines.