Vorarlberg: Football association defends itself against Covid funding allegations!

Vorarlberg: Football association defends itself against Covid funding allegations!

Bregenz, Österreich - The Vorarlberg Football Association (VfV) is faced with severe allegations. As the Falter , the association is said to have received unjustified covid funding of over 200,000 euros. The accusations that were raised shortly before the upcoming ÖFB general meeting in Bregenz could have far-reaching political implications. At this event, Josef Pröll (ÖVP) is elected as the new President of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB).

VfV President Horst Lumper vehemently defends himself against the allegations and emphasizes that the association has actually applied for help. "We applied for Covid aids as one of six national soccer associations," said Lumper. He makes it clear that the VfV had a significant suffering from the effects of pandemic, including disused playing, unusual courses and continuous costs for the academy. However, it is not possible to quantify financial losses.

Covid funding in sports

The context of these funding goes back to spring 2020 when the Covid 19 crisis management fund was set up. The Report of the Parliament informs that this fund serves to get various support programs to cope with the COVID-19-crisis. By the end of 2022, numerous aid programs for different areas, including sports, were completed, whereby only payments were made via the non-profit organizational support fund (NPO funds).

A total of 818.6 million euros were made available from the Covid 19 crisis management fund, of which 71.53 million euros were used for sports leagues. In 2021, a sports bonus of 9 million euros was also set up for non -profit sports clubs. These funds were particularly intended for sports organizations that suffered from the financial effects of pandemic.

political background

The allegations made could also have association policy motifs. As Lumper noted, the temporal connection of the allegations, especially before the upcoming election of the ÖFB president, appears questionable. The discussion about covid funding could influence how the members of the association decide on future leadership. It remains unclear whether and to what extent these allegations will influence the election.

The Vorarlberg Football Association is therefore faced with a challenging situation in which both the financial support issues and the upcoming elections are extremely important. It remains to be seen how the discussions will develop in the coming days.