The situation following the CAS ruling is confusing. The consequences of the transfer ban could be serious.
Loser in the league and in court: things are going pretty poorly for 1. FC Köln at the moment. IMAGO/Beautiful Sports
On Thursday at 3:45 p.m., those responsible at 1. FC Cologne were informed: With a brief message, the international sports court CAS confirmed the transfer ban of the world football association FIFA against the Bundesliga club. Due to alleged incitement to breach of contract in the course of signing Jaka Cuber Potocnik, Cologne are now not allowed to sign any new players in the next two transfer periods, more precisely from the date of delivery of the judgment, December 21, 2023, until the beginning of the January transfer period in 2025.
On Friday afternoon, Cologne’s commercial director Philipp Türoff and sports director Christian Keller commented on how to proceed.
What is allowed and what is not allowed during the lockdown?
No new players are allowed to be registered for the professionals. Players on loan are allowed to return to Cologne after the loan period has expired, but not before. This means that a winter return is not an issue for attacker Tim Lemperle or goalkeeper Jonas Urbig (both SpVgg Greuther Fürth); from summer onwards they can be integrated into the team as normal. Actors without a contract may also not be obliged. Contract extensions with players who are already at FC are not a problem.
FC women and youth players who are a maximum of 14 years old are not affected.
What harm does the billy goats do?
From a purely financial perspective, Türoff speaks of a “six-figure sum” for lawyers, etc. However, the club is insured accordingly for such cases. From a sporting perspective, at least no new players can come in who would have been urgently needed in the relegation battle. If the downward spiral continues to the point of descent, the closure would be one reason among many – and the damage would be unforeseeable and immense.
Will Cologne go to civil court?
It doesn’t look like it, but it’s not entirely off the table either. “We will always examine all options,” says Türoff, but also says with a view to the future: “There are relatively low chances of success for new decisions that come after the arbitration courts. We are not assuming that we will go any further. ”
How are those responsible for FC planning?
“We signed a lot of contract extensions in the summer to be prepared for this eventuality,” says squad planner Keller. All top performers are bound for the coming season – and “almost all” also for the possible move to the 2nd league. “The fact is, we are not allowed to transfer. But we are allowed to play,” says Türoff combatively.
Is now the hour for the offspring?
Quite possible. Max Finkgräfe recently attracted attention as a left-back. “We have a good youth workforce, but far too few players have recently made the jump to the professionals,” criticizes Keller. That is likely to change now, as up to three youth and amateur players are allowed to play for FC at the same time, and some – like Finkgräfe – have recently been given professional contracts.
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“We can now tackle things that you wouldn’t tackle in a normal situation,” says Keller, trying to make a virtue out of the great need. “Maybe we have to have the courage to throw in players from the youth ranks who don’t yet have that much experience.”
Could talent Justin Diehl stay after all?
The decision not to try out the highly talented young striker with the professionals was largely that of former coach Steffen Baumgart – he had made an extension of the contract with Effzeh, which ended in the summer, a condition. In the regional league, the 19-year-old has now scored twelve times in 19 games. It seems quite possible that Diehl will now get a chance with the professionals – depending on who the new coach becomes. “We are happy to integrate Justin if he wants to be integrated,” says Keller.
2023-12-22 16:58:13
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