It has distorted competition in recent years when teams that no longer had a realistic chance of making the playoffs gave up their top performers. This has now been put to a stop.
Whether in Innsbruck, Feldkirch, Graz or previously in Dornbirn – time and again, clubs that were knocked off a few rounds before the end and had no chance of making the playoffs used the opportunity to save salaries by passing on their top performers to other teams, some abroad (legionnaires), but also within the league (domestic).
This was anything but an optimal development since the intermediate round was eliminated and it was often clear very early on where the journey was going for some latecomers, or no longer. On the one hand, the fans often only saw a skeleton of their team and experienced one or two slaps. On the other hand, it also greatly distorted competition, as the teams that only competed against those teams late in the regular round had a clear advantage.
New rule with tough sanctions
This should now end, because the league introduced a rule that is intended to prevent exactly that. As insider Bernd Freimüller posted on If you still give up a player from this basic squad, you risk a fine of €10,000 and the loss of an import place for the next two seasons.
New rules in the @win2dayICE
to prevent firesales before the deadline: Teams have to name a 15-men core roster (over 24-domestic and import players) by Jan 15 who are untradable. If one is sold off regardless, teams get fined 10,000 Euros and lose an import spot for two seasons.— Bernd Freimueller (@bfreimueller)
December 17, 2025
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