Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

RB Leipzig deny Rudi Voller's claim they broke self-imposed salary cap

RB Leipzig have strongly rejected Rudi Voller's suggestion that they may not be adhering to their self-imposed €3 million salary cap.

Leipzig, founded by Austrian soft drink company Red Bull in 2009 and playing in the top tier for the first time this season, remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga and are just two points behind leaders Bayern Munich with seven games played.

However, they have faced protests from opposition fans throughout the season due to the manner in which Red Bull has funded their remarkable rise, and Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Voller questioned their spending on wages at the weekend.

Leipzig have said their wages are capped at €3m per player annually, but Voller said on Sky 90: "I don't know where they are but definitely not in the last third [of Bundesliga clubs in terms of wages].

"They like to belittle themselves. Even if they were to say that their wages were in the top eight of the Bundesliga, it would not be a problem. We all know that they are not a typical second division side winning promotion."

Voller cited the example of Leverkusen defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who joined Leipzig on loan this summer, saying he had a "pretty decent contract and will have a similar one now."

After winning promotion to the Bundesliga just seven years after the club was founded, Leipzig invested heavily in their squad, with an estimated €47m net spend, but also announced the salary cap.

Speaking to Bild, RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick dismissed Voller's claim, saying: "I have always said that we 100 percent stick to our salary cap.

"If we say that we are in the 'deep midfield area' of the league's salary structure, you can assume that it's not only a populist statement but also totally realistic.

"We are a long way away from the top wages at Leverkusen, and miles off those at Bayern, Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Schalke."

Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl, meanwhile, has said his club are not looking to challenge Bayern for the title.

"We are not chasing Bayern," Hasenhuttl told reporters following Sunday's 1-0 win at Wolfsburg. "The only thing we want to chase is the ball."

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