Austrian soccer club LASK loses league lead for violating training restrictions amid pandemic

American sports teams that ignore social-distancing guidelines and conduct banned training sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic would likely receive figurative slaps on wrists and maybe, at worst, fines.

The Austrian Bundesliga showed on Thursday such guidelines aren't to be taken lightly.

As explained by Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports, league leaders LASK were docked 12 points for allegedly conducting team training exercises at a time when such practices were to be limited to small groups to prevent large gatherings.

LASK were also fined €75,000. The club is appealing the ruling.

If the points reduction stands, LASK would begin the championship-round portion of the campaign in second place and three points behind Red Bull Salzburg with 10 matchdays remaining on the domestic calendar.

Per Tom Maston of Goal.com, the other 11 clubs in the country's top-flight recently issued a joint statement accusing LASK of completing prohibited full-contact training:

"Through this illegal behaviour, the enormous efforts of the Bundesliga and its clubs to ensure the health of everyone involved in Bundesliga football have been made to look absurd. As a result, the prevention concepts, which were developed jointly and unanimously approved by all clubs, were maliciously betrayed.

"This also results in a clear competitive advantage for LASK compared to the other clubs in the Bundesliga, which cannot be accepted."

LASK last won the first division title in 1965. Improperly training during an uncontrolled virus outbreak would be quite a unique way to extend that drought for at least one more year.