(foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
Austrian giant Red Bull adds a sixth club to its portfolio, acquiring Japan's Omiya Ardija, and enters a new market in the process.
Austrian giant Red Bull has announced the addition of a new club to its portfolio, marking its entry into a new market where it had no previous football presence. Red Bull, which already owns RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig, RB Bragantino, RB Brasil, and New York Red Bulls, has now acquired Omiya Ardija from Japan. This club currently competes in the third division and was once home to Slovenian striker Milivoje Novaković.
Novaković, nicknamed 'Novagol', scored 21 goals and provided five assists in 44 appearances for Omiya Ardija. His coach during that period was Zdenko Verdenik, a former head coach of the Slovenian national team.
Red Bull will officially take control of the club sometime in September. Currently, Omiya Ardija is on a promising path to return to the second division in Japan next season. After 23 rounds in the current season, they are convincingly at the top of the league standings.
Omiya holds a 13-point lead over Numazu, who are in third place and aiming for a playoff spot for promotion, while the first and second teams gain automatic promotion.