The German serial champion HB Ludwigsburg is faced with the sporting sale after the bankruptcy application. The club from the handball Bundesliga cannot fulfill the ongoing contracts with its players. This was announced on Monday, almost two weeks after the application for the opening of a preliminary insolvency proceedings.
“Despite the intensive discussions with everyone involved, no sustainable solution could be found to ensure the financing of the coming season. The existing financing gap, which has arisen over a longer period of time, has not been closed since the preliminary insolvency proceedings were arranged around two weeks ago. Against this background there is a lack of an economic basis for still binding to their existing contracts,” said it in a statement Association.
Under the given conditions, it is “not reasonable for the players” to remain tied to their contracts, said the provisional insolvency administrator Holger Leichtle. “The decision was not easy for us, but it was essential after careful examination.” The team was informed about the situation on Monday.
The team is likely to break apart in its previous form. The Double winner under contract several German internationals such as DHB captain Antje Döll, Xenia Smits or Jenny Behrend. A regular start of the season seems less and less likely. According to schedule, Ludwigsburg, as the reigning champion and DHB Cup winner, is to open the new season with the Supercup on August 23 against HSG Blomberg-Lippe, a week later the Bundesliga start at Frisch on Göppingen.
The board emphasized that numerous discussions with potential partners had been held in recent weeks. “We tried a lot, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to close the gap,” it said.
Despite everything, the club checks a possible continuation with a greatly reduced budget. The team was also informed about this. The aim is to preserve at least a perspective for the women’s handball location Ludwigsburg.