On January 20, third-division club Hallescher FC will kick off the rest of the season against FC Ingolstadt. Two players will not be involved.

This season, Hallescher FC is a direct competitor of MSV Duisburg in the battle to avoid relegation. While HFC are in the first relegation spot with 18 points after 19 games, the Zebras are second last with 16 points after 20 games.

The two relegation candidates will meet in Duisburg on January 23 (7 p.m.), the second matchday after the winter break.

Shortly before the start of the rest of the season, HFC officially announced the termination of the contracts of a duo: Luca Bendel and Matthew Meier will no longer be part of the third division club’s squad with immediate effect. The club made the announcement on Thursday afternoon:

“Halle Football Club is terminating the contract with goalkeeper Luca Bendel. The 20-year-old from Nordhausen is moving to the Regionalliga Nordost with immediate effect. Bendel has worn the red and white jersey since 2020 and completed the goalkeeping trio under the management of Marian Unger this season. Matthew Meier will also be leaving the club for Kiel. The club would like to thank both players and wish them all the best for their future and much personal success.”

Both players hardly played a sporting role

Luca Bendel moved from Rot-Weiß Erfurt to the HFC youth team in 2020 at the age of 16 and played 16 games in the U19 Bundesliga. However, he only played one competitive match for the professionals. This season, the 20-year-old was in the squad six times in the 3rd division, but never made an appearance.

The 19-year-old Matthew Meier was only signed last summer from the NLZ of Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and promptly given a contract until 2025. However, the attacking player failed to live up to expectations and only played three times for the Halle professionals. In the 3rd division, he only played five minutes – in the 4:1 win against Sandhausen.