Some insight on RB Leipzig & Red Bull Football

Many will only know Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull as being active in Formula 1 and adventure sports under owner Dietrich Mateschitz, but they actually own three football clubs in Austria, Germany and the United States besides running two Academies in Brazil and Ghana. With these five entities in four continents Red Bull has the biggest network of clubs/academies in the world of football under their ownership.

It all started in Salzburg in 2005, which is close to the Red Bull headquarters in Walz-Siezenheim, with the takeover of ailing SV Austria Salzburg then called SV Wüstenrot Salzburg and the club was rebranded as Red Bull Salzburg. It has won the Austrian Bundesliga a number of times, but owner Mateschitz has wanted the club to play amongst the best in the UEFA Champions League but the club has failed again and again in the qualifiers.

Only a year later Red Bull purchased the New York MetroStars in 2006 and it completely re-brand the franchise, changing the name, colours, and logo. From then on the MLS team has been known as New York Red Bulls. This was followed by the formation of the Academies of Red Bull Brasil in 2007 and Red Bull Ghana in 2008, which are supposed to work as feeder clubs to the bigger entities in Europe and North America.

In May 2009 followed the takeover of German fifth division club SSV Markranstädt and the renaming into RB Leipzig with the RB not standing for Red Bull but RasenBallsport Leipzig due to German football rules which do not allow the name of sponsors to be attached to the club name. At the time SSV Markranstädt were a local club in Leipzig playing fifth division football and with little ambitions to move higher. This changed with the Red Bull takeover as their new owners had the aim of getting the club into the top tier Bundesliga in a nine year period until 2018 with an initial investment of 100 Million Euros.

It worked well in year one under manager Tino Vogel with the club getting promoted into the fourth division. But over the last couple of years under coaches Thomas Oral and Peter Pacult with the team playing in the former 2006 World Cup stadium with a capacity of 44,345 now renamed Red Bull Arena they didn't get promoted though having the highest budget across leagues in the fourth tier of German football. This season Andreas Zorniger with some changes amongst the players has been given the task to gain promotion to the 3.Liga.

Now Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal joins the club on a trial to show what he is capable off and if successful then Subrata could be offered a contract at RB Leipzig.

Here the article on India Keeper Subrata Pal set for German trial at RB Leipzig

Rangnick & Houllier join Red Bull Football operations

Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull is best known for their Formula 1 team and their activities in adventure sports, but they are also active in football with their worldwide football operations spread across the globe in Austria, Germany, the United States, Brazil and Ghana.

But in football Red Bull, owned by the Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, have not been as successful as in other sports and now a new management is supposed to bring success to them but especially Red Bull Salzburg with German Roger Schmidt as the new coach, another German in Ralf Rangnick as the Director of Sports and Frenchman Gérard Houllier as Global Sports Director Red Bull Soccer to complete the new leadership structure within their football operations.

Roger Schmidt, who last season coached SC Paderborn to a sensational fifth place finish in 2.Bundesliga, is the new head coach of the Salzburg team; Ralf Rangnick as Director of Sports will have to look after Salzburg and German fourth division side RB Leipzig; while Gérard Houllier will have to look after Salzburg, Leipzig, MLS franchise New York Red Bulls besides the developmental academies in Brazil and Ghana.

Especially Rangnick was a much sought after coach across Europe with clubs like Tottenham Hotspurs, West Bromwich Albion, etc; but he in the end decided to join Red Bull as Director of Sports in a more management role rather then a day to day coaching job. The reason might be that Rangnick had last season left FC Schalke 04 due to a burnout syndrome and now returns to active football.

Red Bulls continuing football woes

In Formula 1 Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull are on top of the world, but in football they are far away from their ambitions to be amongst the best in the business. And if things don't go right then the people in charge get the sack at their worldwide football operations which are spread across in Austria, Germany, the United States, Ghana and Brazil.

RB Salzburg - Austria

The above happened yesterday at their Austrian football team Red Bull Salzburg, who are only third in the league behind league leaders Austria Vienna and were eliminated in the group stage from the Europa League after not making it into the UEFA Champions League. Not enough for the big bosses at Red Bull.

Dutch coach Huub Stevens was relieved of his duties with fellow Dutchman and technical director Ricardo Moniz taking over until the end of the season. Moniz will be assisted by former club player and Croatian international Niko Kovac, who has had a coaching role with the clubs youth team since retiring in 2009.

But not only the coach was fired also the Director of Sports Dietmar Beiersdorfer of Germany had to go. The club said in a statement Friday they parted company from the coach and Director of Sports by mutual consent but did not disclose further details. Both Stevens and Beiersdorfer had been at the club since 2009 and in the first season they had won the Austrian league title.

RB Leipzig - Germany

In Germany RB Leipzig has different problems altogether. In Leipzig the club last season won the German fifth division title after the takeover by Red Bull and this year the plan was to get through the fourth division while it would get more difficult in higher divisions, but as per Red Bull plans by 2017 the club should be playing in the top tier Bundesliga with an initial investment of up to 100 Million Euros to achieve that aim.

But in year two the club is facing problems as they are 10 points of the league leaders Chemnitzer FC and promotion looks unlikely. So changes are likely at the club with former German international Thomas Linke already installed as Director of Sports and a new coach looks set to take over from Thomas Oral next season. The name being linked to the job is that of Austrian Peter Pacult, who is currently the coach of Rapid Vienna.

New York Red Bulls - USA

In North American the Major League Soccer season has just started and so far things are fine with the New York Red Bulls who are looking to win titles this year with players like Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez on their roaster.