After being informed last Thursday about some immigration issues at the Bundesliga club MANNHEIM TORNADOS, the press conference last Saturday helped to clear up a few things.
- The main issue between the TORNADOS and the city Mannheim is the status of the Baseball-Bundesliga. The city claims it is a professional league and foreign, non-EU players have to be paid at least €2,550 a month to get a visa to play. However in reality it is an amateur league in which most of the players also have a real job. The salaries are much lower and no club in Germany pays such an amount.
- Shortstop Billy Hess, which is in danger to lose his visa, is working as a teacher and as a coach and only plays in his free time for the team. As mentioned in last Friday’s article the government has stopped actions against Hess until the whole matter is solved.
- South African infielder Justin Lazarus, who is in Germany as a student, is still not allowed to play for the first team or he would lose his student visa. His father is a businessman, who is living in Mannheim. Similar to Hess, the city says Lazarus should also receive at least €2,550 a month to play in the Bundesliga.
- All other 13 clubs in the Bundesliga doesn’t have these problems.
- The German Baseball and Softball Federation already works together with the government to find a solution and to get an exception of the €2,550-rule for the Baseball-Bundesliga.
- Another meeting of the club and the city was scheduled for Tuesday, trying to solve the problems between the two sides.