Austria is flying high – but a crash could destroy everything

Unlike the Swiss national team, our eastern neighbors are in peak form. However, relations between the national team and the Austrian Football Association broke down and the future of the “boys” was jeopardized.

follow me

Our national team is in dire straits. Only a win over Serbia on Friday night can hope to stay in the top division of the Nations League and maintain a relevant advantage. Due to injuries, coach Murat Yakin can only rely on a skeleton lineup. Still, a first win since the last 16 of the European Cup against Italy must now come.

In fact, things are looking better with our neighbors. In the last game, the Austrian team swept the Kazakhstan team (4:0) and the Norwegian team led by superstar Haaland (5:1), and has a great chance of directly advancing to the National League A League. The Austrian national team is also in a better position than it has been in a long time.

Thanks also to Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic (right), Austria is at its best.Image: trapezoid

The most important figures in the meteoric rise of “The Lads” are stars such as David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer, as well as coach Ralf Rangnick . But they are now said to have fallen out with the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB). Very much so.

The reason was ÖFB's decision to fire managing director Bernhard Neuhold. He covers national teams and professional sports. But he had a difficult relationship with ÖFB's second director, who was responsible for wider football. This is why ÖFB President Klaus Mitterdorfer believes that the separation of the two is inevitable.

Team requests ignored

However, Neuhold is considered crucial in planning and preparing for things like the reunion, and is a close confidant of the players – such as when negotiating bonuses. For this reason, Alaba, Sabitzer and their company's team committee, as well as coach Rangnick, requested before the executive board meeting in mid-October that Neuhold not be fired and that Neuhold be retained as general manager. The letter printed by The Courier reads:

However, the request fell on deaf ears. And this created lasting tensions between the association and the national team. Those in charge were offended by the behavior of Rangnick and his team. This is beyond their remit. At the executive board meeting where Newhold and Hoeller were fired, comments such as “the players should concentrate on playing football” were made, the Salzburg Zeitung reported. The players are angry about this, which is why discussions should be held with the ÖFB leadership ahead of Thursday's Nations League match against Kazakhstan.

He was popular with players and coaches, but Bernhard Newhold still lost his job.Picture: www.imago-images.de

However, house blessings in Austria are currently experiencing problems. This could also have an impact on Rangnick's future. Like national team coaches, his contract only lasts until the next big tournament, the 2026 World Cup. At the moment, it's up to him whether he is willing to continue fighting with ÖFB president Mittdorfer, who has publicly expressed his desire to extend Rangnick's contract. . Differences cannot be resolved even through private conversations.

ÖFB considered enemy in Austria

The 66-year-old coach also hopes to promote youth development, coaching training and national league affairs in Austrian football, but he faces further doubts in the Football Association. Some think Rangnick is too expensive, or worry he already has too much power.

How long does Ralf Rangnick want to continue working with the Austrian Football Association?Picture: www.imago-images.de

One person who failed to understand these concerns was Vice-President Gerhard Götschhofer. He was annoyed by some reports, telling the Courier: “It annoys me very much that we have to read in the newspapers that some of us are warning 'Rangnick AG'.” The current national team coach is “The God of Luck”, he brought benefits to Austrian football far beyond his stated tasks. “But we as the executive committee are amateurs and don't know how to seize the opportunity so that ÖFB can perform well for many years.”

This once again shows the internal turmoil that has existed in the Austrian Football Association for many years. “They have become the public enemy,” noted journalist Gerald Gosman told The Athletic. ÖFB is now threatening its “boys” success story. “If they push Rangnick away, that's unacceptable,” Gosman said.