The arbitration and control committee (Senate 2) of the Bundesliga has initiated proceedings against LASK Vice President Jürgen Werner. As the league announced on Wednesday, alleged violations of the ÖFB regulations on working with players’ agents are the subject of the proceedings. There has been a lawsuit against LASK itself for some time.
Werner has now been asked to comment by the league, the deadline is June 9th. Then Senate 2 decides on how to proceed. According to the ÖFB-Rechtspflegeordnung, a club official may not act as an official at the same time as a player’s agent or hold a social function in a company that operates in this way. This also includes a stake in a company like the Bundesliga mentioned.
As the magazine “News” reported at the end of April, Werner is said to have done business with the transfer rights of LASK players through a company investment and thus violated FIFA rules. Werner, who used to be a player’s agent, later also a consultant and sports director of LASK, and has focused on his role as vice-president since 2019, has handled discreet deals with transfer rights, presumably even after 2015, when those of FIFA and the ÖFB have long been were expressly prohibited. The 59-year-old Welser denies that.
LASK process runs in parallel
Senate 5 (Licensing Committee) of the Bundesliga has already initiated disciplinary proceedings against LASK. In this process, the club has until June 1 to comment and the option of a personal hearing during the next week’s meeting.
The direction in which possible sanctions could go is completely open, as there has not yet been a violation of the third-party ownership ban (third-party owner, note) in Austria. If it also concerns international transfers, responsibility rests with FIFA.
