Release from 14.04.2020

Statement of the league on the developments in Linz ice hockey

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The newly founded Linzer Eishockey-Verein applied for a new membership in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga on Tuesday, 14th of April. According to the league statutes, such an application for admission is possible until 15th of April before the start of the respective season.

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The Erste Bank Eishockey Liga has been informed that a new club, the Linzer Eishockey-Verein, has been founded in the Upper Austrian capital. In a letter to the league sent by Puttinger Vogel Rechtsanwälte GmbH, the new club asks - with reference to the league statutes - for a new admission to the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga and the transmission of the list of requirements intended for this purpose.

The league has also received a press release from LINZ AG stating that the current hall lease for the EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz will not be extended when it expires on 30th of April 2020. For this reason, EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz was asked to make a statement regarding the current hall situation.

"For us as a league, the ice hockey location in Linz is very important. We appeal to the common sense of both camps and hope for a solution in the interest of the sport. Both organizations now have the opportunity to present their views," says League President Dr. Karl Safron.

"We have never had to deal with a situation this special since the founding of the league. Of course, there have been and will be further discussions with both club leaders to find the best possible solution for the sport. In principle, however, this case must be resolved within the ice hockey family in Linz," Christian Feichtinger, Managing Director of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, summarizes.

The further course of action and the time schedule of the now successively necessary steps will be determined by the league presidency on the basis of the league statutes and the basic rules of the ice hockey league within the next days. Once all the necessary information is available, a report will be submitted to the general assembly of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, where - unless there is an amicable solution by both parties - a decision will have to be made on how to proceed.

Bratislava's admission procedure still in progress
The admission procedure for the Bratislava Capitals, which could complete the field of participants as the twelfth team in the 2020/21 season, is still underway despite the developments surrounding the coronavirus. The economic examination is to be completed in the next few days. The final report will then be presented to the member clubs, who will decide on the admission of the Bratislava Capitals, as is customary in any admission procedure.