Austria’s seventh divison is bracing itself for a violet invasion this coming season, as Austria Salzburg’s custodians decide to go it alone. In avoidance of a repeat of “The Schnitzel Affair”, an entirely independent, fan-owned club will kick off in the 2. Klasse Nord, three tiers beneath the 1. Landesliga.

Former Austria Salzburg player and crack lower-league gaffer Gustl Kofler will take the opportunity to lead the side’s neustart, vowing to return the club back where they belong. The ground on which they heroically escaped relegation in vain just a week ago, SAK Platz, will provide a roof over their heads for the forseeable future. Sort of.

Another architectural curiosity awaits fans of the former MetroStars. Their Austrian owners are experiencing difficulty ‘positioning’ themselves as the ’soccer metropolis of the East Coast’ off the pitch, and coach Mo Johnston (yes, that one) is ’struggling’ to ‘win’ any ’soccer games’ on it.

Seven draws in eleven matches has seen attendance figures settle firmly into four figures; the enthusiasm draining from an American audience sick of draws and tired of Red Bull’s apathy following the wash-out that was the inaugural game.

Plans for the proposed Red Bull Park depict the 25,000 seat arena with only three sides, the fourth being occupied by a permanent en-suite stage area. The ’soccer & entertainment centre’ is an expanding concept in MLS. As many teams’ welcome in cavernous gridiron stadiums wears thin, a long-overdue generation of new builds are emerging developed specifically for soccer.

Oh, and entertainment.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed over 600 works and learned to speak 15 languages, which is pretty good going for a chap who croaked at the age of 35. They clearly don’t do things by halves in the shadow of the Mönchsberg, where barely 90 minutes passes by without some prodigious episode or other, especially where Austria Salzburg are concerned.

That the unlikely issue of survival in the Landesliga should come down the last five minutes of their final fixture is entirely in synch with a momentous season bookended by periods of exile. Outcast by Red Bull and then jilted at the alter by the local police sports club; tackling globalisation, blizzards, and an almighty row over weiner schnitzel along the way, their dedicated followers could have been forgiven for giving Saturday’s game against Schwarzach a miss on health grounds.

But when Gerald Berger, a 35-year old more accustomed to the routine humdrum of tax inspection following his retirement two years ago, pierced the tension with a late header, Austria Salzburg emerged from the bottom three for the first time this season, and 1500 violetten poured onto the pitch to celebrate with all the fervour you would expect from recent UEFA cup finalists and thrice Bundesliga champions.

Quite what the immediate future has in store for this radical, ragtag crew of soccer subversives is unclear, but they couldn’t care less. These guys are having the time of their lives.

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It’s fair to say that preparations for Saturday’s crunch game against Schwarzach have not gone well.

An extraordinary general meeting called on June 1st by PSV, Austria Salzburg’s adoptive club, appears to have ended any hopes of a permanent merger as PSV vetoed both the planned partnership between the clubs and the formalities of adopting the ‘Austria Salzburg’ name.

Friction between the two organisations was apparently exacerbated when the swollen terraces brought a series of niggly matchday issues to the fore, which bizarrely include some kind of catering dispute which has become known as the ’schnitzel affair’.

The marriage may be off, but the party goes ahead as planned. Amongst threats of litigation against PSV, attention now switches to the suburb of Nonntal, the hastily-arranged venue for Austria Salzburg’s final game of the season and the most likely future home for the side as they plan to start afresh next season in the division below – regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game.

Jilted yet undeterred by the confusion surrounding this fixture, thousands will congregate to will the boys in violet to victory against the bottom side and bring a successful, yet baffling end to the season.

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