Uefa has decided to allow both RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg to enter next season’s Champions League.
There had been suggestions that RB Leipzig would miss out on involvement in the competition due to Uefa rules that prohibit clubs that have strong links to one another from playing in their competitions in the same season.
Both clubs are owned by energy drinks company Red Bull.
However, Uefa decided that “no individual or legal entity had anymore a decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.”
Red Bull Salzburg, who were crowned Austrian league champions, will enter the Champions League in the second qualifying round, while RB Leipzig, who finished second in the German Bundesliga, will go straight into the group stages.
A statement on Uefa’s official website read: “The Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) has decided to accept the admission of both FC Salzburg and RB Leipzig to the UEFA Champions League 2017/18, having found that Article 5 (Integrity of the competition) of the competition regulations is not breached.
“Following a thorough investigation, and further to several important governance and structural changes made by the clubs (regarding corporate matters, financing, personnel, sponsorship arrangements, etc.), the CFCB deemed that no individual or legal entity had anymore a decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.
“This decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within ten days, in accordance with Article 34(2) of the Procedural rules governing the UEFA Club Financial Control Body – Edition 2015, as well as Articles 62 and 63 of the UEFA Statutes.
“The CFCB will continue to monitor both clubs to ensure that integrity rules are respected going forward.
“The motivated and reasoned decision will be published on UEFA.org in due course.”
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