The 1. FC Köln has to go before the Fifa Tribunal because of the transfer of Jaka Cuber Potocnik.
In the U19 Bundesliga, 1. FC Köln is in first place four matchdays before the end of the single round. The Cologne team therefore has the best chance of making it to the final round of the German championship.
The first two teams from the West German league qualify for the final round. Cologne will still play against MSV, BVB, Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Hilden.
However, there are some upsets before the final stage. For one, Philipp Wydra will leave FC with immediate effect. He is returning to Rapid Vienna. The Austrian was one of many talents who were expected to make a breakthrough in Cologne.
Now things turned out differently, also due to injury problems: The midfielder played a total of 29 competitive games (18 goals, 19 assists) for the FC U17s and U19s. For the U21s in the Regionalliga West, the 20-year-old played in 21 games (2 goals, 2 assists).
Cologne attacker Jaka Cuber Potocnik is doing better, scoring seven goals in nine games. The 17-year-old transferred from NK Olimpija’s U17 to Cologne in January 2022 – free of charge. And that is exactly why NK Olimpija has now sued FC. This was reported by SportBild.
According to the report, the player terminated his contract, after which Cologne made a free transfer. But his ex-club is now defending itself against this termination before the Fifa tribunal. According to “SportBild”, the demand is: 2.5 million euros transfer fee plus 69,972.60 euros training compensation, 7200 euros damages and a transfer ban for Cologne for two transfer windows. The club arrives at this sum because there is said to have been an offer of 2.5 million euros from Dinamo Zagreb in December 2021.
A lot of money, the verdict is already expected shortly. The background: the striker’s mother terminated the contract, which is said to have been valid until 2024, because promises to the player were allegedly not kept. After the termination, the deal with the Cologne club was quickly struck.
The statement of claim, which is available to “SportBild”, is said to say in the direction of FC: “The second defendant must have been involved in the termination of the player’s contract and actually induced him to break his contract in order to continue his career with 1. FC Köln.”
Cologne contradicts the accusations. According to them, Cologne’s sports director Christian Keller even offered a six-figure transfer fee. Now the courts must decide who is right in the end. Cologne will know more at the beginning of February.
