German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig may miss out on playing in next season’s Champions League, despite qualifying for the competition by finishing second in the league.
Leipzig – who are owned by energy drink company Red Bull but go by the name RasenBallsport – have faced much controversy and derision during their climb from the German fifth tier to the top of the Bundesliga in just eight years.
However, that has not stopped them securing second place behind champions Bayern Munich with one game to go in the German domestic season. Automatic Champions League qualificatuion achieved, then.
Or is it?
Across the border in Austria, Red Bull also own Salzburg (formerly SV Austria Salzburg) who claimed their fourth Austrian Bundesliga title in a row on Saturday.
It was their eighth title since the energy drink company took over in 2005 and proceeded to change their traditional purple kit for Red Bull’s corporate colours and change their stadium name to the Red Bull Arena.
Many supporters abandoned the club in protest and founded a new club, Austria Salzburg, which is now in the third tier.
Saturday's match was watched by just over 15,000 fans. The club was previously managed by Giovanni Trapattoni and knocked Bohemians out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2009.
Winning the league confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League but has also put in doubt Leipzig’s involvement due to Uefa rules that teams with strong ownership links cannot compete during the same season due to a possible conflict of interest.
European soccer’s governing body has said it will study the management structure of the two clubs when the entry list for the competition is complete.
If only one team were eligible to enter then it would be Salzburg as they finished higher in their domestic league.
Leipzig's general manager, Oliver Mintzlaff, told German media that the company had done its homework and that both teams were eligible to take part under Uefa rules.
Leipzig feel they can convince Uefa that the two clubs are significantly different in their day-to-day operations , despite the obvious ownership issues and the fact that a number of players have transferred between the clubs over the last few years.
Salzburg, who will enter at the second qualifying round next season, have not qualified for the Champions League group stage since Red Bull became involved.
