Generali Arena
It's been a certainty since Tuesday. Wiener Austria has not received a license for the coming season. How does it go on with the distribution group?
In any case, the financial gap at the “Veilchen” was too big for the Bundesliga. The favorites are said to be missing a rumored seven million euros. Too much for the league's Senate 5 to issue a play permit for the upcoming season. A bank guarantee was also not given.
In any case, time is of the essence now. Austria now has until April 21 to submit documents. The protest committee of the Bundesliga will then make a second instance decision on April 27th. If the game permit is still not granted, Austria only has to go to the permanently neutral court of arbitration.
But what options does Wiener Austria have? In concrete terms, there are probably only two scenarios left to save the survival of the “violets”.
The first option is to hand in the missing bank guarantee after all. Because seven million euros will not be available within a week. Investor Insignia also has an obligation here, even if its representative Luka Sur withdrew from responsibility on Tuesday evening via Instagram posting, stated that receiving the license was “not the obligation” of the Georgian financiers.
However, it remains to be seen whether this will succeed. Most recently, attempts have even been made to obtain a bank guarantee in Saudi Arabia. So far in vain.
Scenario number two would be the so-called “corona insolvency”, a pandemic-related passage in the Bundesliga statutes that could now accommodate the “violets”. Last year, the Bundesliga clubs agreed that a club would not have to be relegated in the event of bankruptcy. Austria could therefore go into bankruptcy and at the same time remain represented in the top division.
“If a club seeks a restructuring process and the insolvency administrator says yes, you can get the license if the restructuring process is completed by March 3, 2022,” said Bundesliga board member Christian Ebenbauer in the “ORF”.
The “violets” would have to contend with further sanctions. Austria would receive a six-point deduction and should not spend any money on transfer fees for two seasons. However, the problem here too: An application for bankruptcy would have to be filed by April 21st. But it is also clear that in this case the Austria kickers would have a right of termination.
So facts have to be created in a few days. A board meeting was scheduled for Friday.
