Blau-Weiß Linz: License granted, but the club is concerned about a procedure

Second division soccer club FC Blau-Weiss Linz has already come a step closer to the Bundesliga before today’s away game at Liefering (6:10 p.m.): The Upper Austrians received the license for the soccer upper house – and yet a procedure opened against the club is worrying: It there is a suspicion of a violation of the “transfer revenue sharing” license provision – more precisely: third-party ownership.

Third-party involvement in player transfer rights has been banned since 2015. The FIFA catalog of penalties provides for point deductions, transfer bans or forced relegation as maximum penalties. So far, however, the FIFA Disciplinary Chamber has mostly limited it to fines. And even with blue and white, the excitement should soon disappear into thin air again: It is said to be a contract concluded last autumn, which a renowned law firm rated as impeccable. An agreement that was dissolved again in one of the first official acts of neo-managing director Christoph Peschek, which is why potential payments to third parties never took place. The club announced in a broadcast yesterday that it wanted to help with a complete clarification of this cause.

Duel of the top scorers

With a win against the Young Bulls, Linz could even climb to the top of the table today if leader St. Pölten lost a point in the top game at the third GAK. “It’s our job anyway that we have to win the next eight games,” says Blue and White coach Gerald Scheiblehner. A real yardstick awaits in the city of Mozart – where the top scorers in the second highest division meet: Liefering’s Karim Konate (14 goals in 17 league games, one goal every 94 minutes) and BW- Attacker Ronivaldo (12 goals in 22 games, one goal every 105 minutes).

Does one of the two make the difference? “You can’t compare them. Ronny is one of the best with his back to goal, Konate is looking for depth with his speed,” says Scheiblehner, who of course hopes that his Brazilian striker’s spring form will continue: he has scored in the last seven games Ronivaldo six times. Scheiblehner: “The future belongs to Konate, but in the present Ronny can help us immensely to achieve our goals.”

15th place could be enough for Steyr

The situation in the relegation battle ahead of today’s home game against Amstetten has improved for Forward Steyr: because regional league club Stripfing didn’t receive the license in the first instance, it looks like there won’t be a promoted team from the eastern league – which means one team less the 2nd league would have to relegate. If Vienna Austria does not get a license either, the Young Violets would also have to be automatically relegated from the 2nd division. Then even 15th place would be enough for Steyr.