Dhe volleyball players and coaches at United Volleys are trying to focus on what they can influence during these troubled days. “We want to give the answer to the point deduction on the field,” explains head coach Christophechten. The Belgian continues to hope that something could change in the fact that Frankfurt will meet SVG Lüneburg in the play-off quarter-finals of the Bundesliga, which begins for them on Sunday (3 p.m.) with a home game in the Ballsporthalle Run the risk of meeting the master from Berlin just one lap later.
As third in the table after the intermediate round, the Hessians would have had to deal with Herrsching. But the VBL licensing committee deducted six points from the volleys last week for violating the licensing requirements. They fall back from second to third place in the final table of the main round and to fourth place in the intermediate round. A win in the last game against Powervolleys Düren would have made it possible to return to third place. However, due to several corona cases in the second, the match was canceled and should not be made up for, as Daniel Sattler, spokesman for the league management, says, so that the knockout games can start on time.
intervention in sporting competition
The serious intervention in the sporting competition caused outrage not only among those affected. The representatives of other Bundesliga clubs have also spoken out against this type of sanctioning. “It’s terrible when sporting achievements are completely pushed into the background as a result of such regulations,” says Michael Warm, who was United’s first coach from 2015 to 2018.
According to managing director Alexander Korosek, legal action against the cancellation of the volleys was examined on Monday. The Dürener would have been ready for a later appearance; According to team manager Annika Blaeser, however, almost all players are now in isolation, and the eight players that a club must have at least in the squad could be available “at the weekend at the earliest”.
Liquidity problems solved
In the fall, the league had given the Volleys the requirement to provide monthly evidence of their economic performance. According to Sattler, there have already been several omissions that should result in a point deduction in January. If an out-of-court settlement was attempted, a fine was considered as an alternative. This, set in the five-digit range, seemed too high to Volleys shareholder Alexander Korosek. According to Korosek, the matter was about the federal government’s corona aid from last year. These were only transferred after more than four months. With the delay, the managing director admits, “we made a mistake”. The applications, calculations and statements of the tax advisor were presented as proof of the expected money, but the licensing committee did not recognize them.
Invested in sports: Alexander Korosek
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Photo: Jan Huebner
“We are accused of being at risk of being unprofitable and that the United Volleys might not be able to finish the season,” Korosek continued. “But there were only liquidity problems.” They have been fixed. No player, coach or employee has not received his salary. That confirms eighth. Open supplier invoices have been settled.
Sattler explains that some economic issues have now “healed” and there are currently no signs that the volleys will not be able to finish the season. The deduction of points, the amount of which is a matter of consideration for the person responsible, is due to the delay. Overall, the volleys failed to deliver on deadlines and promises. Several lower penalties have already been imposed for a variety of minor offences. Korosek is annoyed by the “bureaucracy”, especially in times of the coronavirus crisis. “The league wants to tell me how to run my business,” and he won’t let that happen.
Little understanding of the action of the league
“The league sees the world differently than we do,” says co-partner and United founder Jörg Krick, who has invested millions in the project since 2015. Since this season, the entrepreneur has significantly reduced his involvement: With a total budget of 900-000 euros, his contribution as a shareholder is 180,000 euros, his colleague Korosek says he secures the company’s total capital of 300,000 euros.
“It never looked like we couldn’t finish the season,” says Krick. Other companies would also have liquidity bottlenecks during these times. The entrepreneur has no understanding for the “tough” action of the league. He misses the appreciation for the work the Volleys have done in the seven years since their inception. “I’m stunned.” Out of anger, Krick resigned from his position on the media committee. He describes the behavior of the league, which consists of only nine men’s teams, as “self-destruction”.
Korosek confirms that they continue to work on the planning for the next season. Eights and several players have renewed their contracts, newcomers have been hired. Krick no longer wants to get involved financially. “Alex has to do it alone, and I also believe that he can do it.” In 2020 Korosek left Frankfurt Universe out of anger at the German Football League and the American Football Association Germany.
