There are many question marks at Wacker Innsbruck before the general assembly on Wednesday. The fans want answers. Above all, to the question of who should eliminate the current shambles in the second division forced relegation. Because it is still high and opaque. What will the future of the traditional club look like? The fact is: The Tyrolean League starts on July 30th. Whether Wacker Innsbruck will be in the fourth division is still open. According to a decision by the Tyrolean Football Association, this is planned. However, the prerequisite for this is the rescue of the indebted club. The numbers range from 830,000 euros (Club) to 970,000 (Tiroler Tageszeitung).
The main problem is the professional department, which is insolvent (reportedly 1.9 million euros in debt). The club now threatens to be carried away. The liquidator recently tried to unravel the entanglements between the GmbH and the association. Creditors’ claims must be registered by July 13, the first examination will take place on July 27. “Any financial cross-connections between the club and GmbH should further deter possible rescuers,” recently wrote the “TT”. If the club also goes bankrupt, the legend FC Wacker would have to reinvent itself in the ninth and last division, the 2nd class. A fate that the club was spared after bankruptcy in 2002.
In any case, President Kevin Radi is pinning his hopes on the Stuttgart investor Thomas Kienle. But the money hasn’t come in yet. He has so far tapped sources in vain, but gambled away a lot of credit. An application by the “Initiative Wacker 2022” demands the dismissal of the board and full information about the activities and financial management of the association. Radi has not yet commented on this.
The name Mikhail Ponomarew – after an interlude as an investor, a man who was damaged in the Wacker environment – was recently haunted again. The Russian is said to be at the door with a golden lifebelt. It has been open since January 19, 2020, when the members’ association voted out its principles for dazzling promises. And an innovation at the time called core membership was approved with 93.1 percent approval.
Core membership costs more than regular membership dues, but promises a much larger share of votes. It is currently worth 1,500 normal votes and is therefore more important than all of the almost 1,000 eligible voters on Wednesday.
BlockRock GmbH holds that voting power. Its managing director is Kevin Radi, which makes it clear that only the club president (34) himself can pave the way for a new beginning in terms of personnel. Only when insolvency actually occurs would BlockRock GmbH leave as a core member. If, on the other hand, Radi can be voted out, a commercial law firm is likely to take over. According to a club spokesman, there is no opposing candidate who has been set up in good time.
The dramatic situation of the large Tyrolean club has also reached political dimensions. Politicians emphasized that the amateur division, including women’s and youth departments, should continue to exist. This is also documented. In addition, the state elections are just three months away. The question remains whether a rescue operation just before closing time can be used to catch political votes, or whether the FC Wacker brand is already too damaged.
