The career of SV Lafnitz is a success story. In the past 14 seasons, the East Styrian club has celebrated no fewer than four championship titles. That meant four climbs. But that also meant that with every leap into the next higher league, more economic power was needed. Chairman Bernhard Loidl personally and the sponsorship with his company Licht-Loidl guaranteed massive financial support. “With us, every player always got his money on time,” says sports director Hermann Kopitsch.
At a board meeting on Saturday, the realignment of the clubs was discussed and voted on. Loidl will retire as chairman in 2024. His decision has immediate consequences. “At the moment it looks like we won’t apply for a license for the 2nd division,” says Kopitsch and explains: “With the support of 180,000 euros from the Bundesliga, we can in the current constellation with two teams (note: 2nd League, national league) just don’t continue. We would need more sponsors.”
The Lafnitzer are today with the Styrian Football Association
Kopitsch and a four-man delegation from the Lafnitz board of directors have an appointment at the Styrian Football Association at 10.30 a.m. today. The East Styrians want to look at feasible scenarios of how the exit from the 2nd division can be completed. According to the statutes, SV Lafnitz would be relegated to the Regionalliga Mitte. “But we don’t want to play in the regional league, we want to continue in the state league with our state league team,” explains Kopitsch.
Participation in the regional league would only be conceivable if Hartberg “accessed” and the Lafnitzer continued to exist as amateurs of TSV Hartberg. “It would be interesting to develop young players there,” says Hartberg sports director Erich Korherr, who has a good understanding with Bernhard Loidl. So good that Loidl even wanted to bring the Hartberg chairman to the Lafnitzer board of directors in the last election. It was probably a strategic vision of Loidl.
There have not yet been any talks in Hartberg
Korherr cannot yet say how realistic it is for Hartberg and Lafnitz to work together. “I haven’t spoken to the Lafnitz boss yet and we haven’t talked internally in Hartberg,” says Korherr. It would definitely be an advantage for Hartberg – their own amateurs are currently playing in the Oberliga, i.e. two leagues lower than in the Regionalliga.
And a league lower than Lafnitz if there is no cooperation with Hartberg. Either way, the Lafnitz second division team would be dissolved because “the contracts of these players only apply to the Bundesliga,” says Kopitsch.
The contracts only apply to the top and second-highest leagues
In any case, the season will be finished. At the end of the game year, players with corresponding Bundesliga contracts would be available on the transfer market free of charge. This was also confirmed by the board of directors of the footballers’ union (Vdf), Gernot Zirngast: “If the contract clearly states that a contract is only valid for the Bundesliga, then that’s the way it is. If not, then it applies to every other league.”
Loidl has been elected until 2024 and, as has been heard, will also finish his period. Due to the professional stress, it is definitely over as a Lafnitz boss. The East Styrians are already looking for a successor. “Bernhard has done an excellent job over the years and will hand over the club properly. The club is debt free. We think it’s easier to find a new chairman in the state league than in the second division,” says Kopitsch.
