The former SV Mattersburg president and bank manager Martin Pucher reported in his interrogations about the Commerzialbank case of black money payments from the former Bundesliga club. Four ex-players and a former coach who worked for the club between 2004 and 2013 are said to have been considered. Pucher also gave the investigators the five names in question.
Two players would have received between 50,000 and 100,000 euros, two others “have occasionally received grants if they played well,” says a “courier” report. According to Pucher, the latter approached him ten to 15 times and asked for money. The duo is said to have received a total of 30,000 to 40,000 euros untaxed. He assumed that “the players needed the money to leave on the weekend,” said Pucher.
Gross for net on hand
The money was handed over in cash. According to his own statements, Pucher could no longer say where he had taken the funds from. “Probably from the Commerzialbank.” The malversations there are the subject of a committee of inquiry in Burgenland. Roughly estimated, Pucher, once also president of the Bundesliga, wants to have illegally withdrawn 40 million euros from the bank and sent it to the bankrupt SV Mattersburg.
According to Pucher, an ex-trainer also received black money. It is said that Pucher would not have wanted to keep this with the club despite an ongoing contract. “I paid him half of his outstanding salary from illicit payments from the commercial bank,” the ex-president is quoted as saying. The beneficiary was satisfied. According to the report, the ex-coach is said to have received 120,000 to 130,000 euros gross for net on hand.