After harsh accusations

Leoben under scrutiny: a town trembles for its club

Clouds over the Monte Schlacko in Leoben

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Serious allegations have been made against the second division soccer club DSV Leoben: according to a media report in the "Kleine Zeitung", there is suspicion of money laundering and illicit payments. House searches have already taken place. The "Krone" collected reactions and tried to provide an overview.

A "Christmas bomb" that a media outlet dropped? Or a financial bomb that burst the traditional Styrian club DSV Leoben? "Watch out, there will soon be a clash!"? Or: "Where did Leoben get the money from?" were statements and questions that were often addressed to the "Krone" in recent months. According to investigators from the Vienna public prosecutor's office, the answer was quickly found. Paraiba, a financial service provider in the crypto industry, which is on the blacklist of financial market regulators in Austria and Germany and is alleged to have financially harmed several thousand people.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

This sponsor - and the role of DSV Leoben chairman Mario Bichler at Paraiba - are sometimes in the sights of the judiciary. The big question? What role does DSV Leoben play in this? According to the prosecutors, Bichler massively recruited customers for the Paraiba system. In addition, Paraiba was the main sponsor of DSV. The police are now investigating the flow of money, which accounts it came from, how the accounts were funded, who concluded the contracts, whether players received duplicate contracts or whether the club handled money flows via slush funds. The presumption of innocence applies. DSV chairman Bichler will be questioned by the authorities next week.

Deni Alar and Co. want to concentrate on soccer.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

What the players say
The players were caught out by the news in the media while on vacation: "We don't know exactly," says goalscorer Deni Alar, "but I'm not worried, because in the six months since I've been in Leoben, I haven't noticed anything going wrong." Alar cannot confirm that there are supposedly two contracts for players: "I don't know anything about that!" According to "Krone" information, however, some players have been presented with amended contracts several times in recent years.

Striker Kevin Friesenbichler was also surprised: "If I knew something, I would say it, but I only know the newspaper reports. The fact is that chairman Mario Bichler has told us that the story is not true. That's our position. We are professional footballers who are there to perform on the pitch. We can't change anything anyway, because it's out of our hands, so we're going to go through with it in sporting terms."

Secretary Brandl and chairman Bichler.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

This is what the club around chairman Mario Bichler says
"That's absurd," says DSV chairman Mario Bichler in response to the media accusations. "There are no black money accounts at the DSV, no duplicate contracts, no accounts at any foreign banks. And we have long since refuted all of that!" Leoben's secretary, Franz Brandl, confirms: "When I joined the board in 2021, we asked whether there were any outstanding claims against DSV. There were none, all invoices had been paid. There is no ongoing business relationship with a bank abroad."

Bichler confirms that his house was searched, but "I already withdrew from Paraiba in 2021!" Bichler's lawyer Andreas Hämmerle adds: "There are ongoing investigations against Mario Bichler, but the allegations will disappear into thin air. His sales activities at Paraiba have ended, similar to Paraiba's sponsorship of DSV, when the first warnings from the Financial Market Authority came out."

Bundesliga board member Christian Ebenbauer

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

What the Bundesliga says
The league was not surprised by the reports surrounding DSV. "A few weeks ago, we received an anonymous letter in which the allegations now described in the media had already been made," said board member Christian Ebenbauer. "We then initiated an investigation via Senate 5 and asked the Leoben auditor. Following the latest reports, we are examining a request to inspect the files."

To date, the league, which must always rely on information from the club, has not come across any irregularities in the awarding of the license for League Two. "We have no duplicate contracts for players. Everything has also been proven in terms of the continuity forecast and budget."

Senate 5 intends to look into the matter before Christmas (with a further deadline for comments). Possible sanctions in the event of a criminal offense: From a warning to a fine (up to €500,000) to a points deduction, compulsory relegation and withdrawal of registration.

The second division club is on fire.

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

What the victims' lawyer says
The public prosecutor's office has been investigating around 20 people since 2022. They are suspected of serious commercial fraud and illegal pyramid schemes. The focus: DSV chairman Mario Bichler is in fifth and sixth place in the "Paraiba pyramid scheme" - whose operator would sponsor the club - according to the statement of facts that lawyer Jörg Zarbl submitted to the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office around a year ago. He represents 750 of the injured parties who did not receive any payouts from the pyramid scheme. "The investigations are very far advanced. We assume that assets will be seized so that the victims will get their money back," Zarbl told the "Krone" newspaper confidently.

This is not the only line of investigation surrounding the club: An anonymous complaint raised suspicions of money laundering via black accounts. Jörg Zarbl can imagine, should this suspicion be confirmed, that the accusation of criminal association could also come into play.