Every year again

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Generali Arena

(Bild: GEPA )

Despite the still tense situation, Vienna's Austria wants to avoid detention for the license certificate this year. In recent weeks, club boss Kurt Gollowitzer has always been positive that the club will be able to obtain the license for the coming season at the first attempt. Friday afternoon will be exciting when the league publishes the rulings of Senate 5 in the first instance. For the "Veilchen" it is a familiar annual tremor.

In April of last year, Austria was initially denied a license, as was the case in 2021 and 2022. The protest committee then gave the green light - but it shouldn't come to that this year. "Our goal was always to get the next license in the first instance," Gollowitzer announced at the club's general assembly at the end of February. He is "convinced that we will succeed this time". After all, according to the Austria President, who has been in office since May 2023, "we want to be a serious and reliable partner of the Bundesliga in the future". The competition sometimes sees the situation in Vienna-Favoriten differently.

The fact that Austria, which continues to be in the red year after year, barely manages to get its license is viewed critically. The negative annual result in the past 2022/23 financial year amounted to 6.85 million euros. The increase in attendance figures was positive, but the team missed out on the top six in sporting terms and there was no transfer income in the millions. If Matthias Braunöder joins Italian second division club Como, who are fighting for promotion to Serie A, in the summer, Austria will receive a reported €1.7 million transfer fee. In view of the current situation, this is more of a drop in the ocean.

Stadium sale planned
Patrons and investors had to step in once again. In order to remain solvent, funds amounting to several million euros were once again injected this season - as was the case last year. The sale of the home arena should provide real relief. The venue at the Verteilerkreis costs Austria (too) much money to operate due to the high interest rates. The sale is now planned for the end of the second quarter - i.e. the end of June. With the proceeds in the region of the targeted EUR 40 million, a debt cut with the largest lender, Bank Austria, is to take place. Austria could then look to the future again financially.

Austria sporting director Jürgen Werner

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Fighting often "with blunt weapons"
The club wants to rent space in the Generali Arena and - according to the plan - also negotiate a management contract. The club would then remain the master in its own house. If the deal goes through in the planned time, the prospects of the favorites in sporting terms would also improve. As Jürgen Werner noted, the club's expenditure on the figurehead is manageable. "No European team spends less than 50 per cent of its total budget on its first team, Austria spends 30 per cent," the head of sport told Sky a few days before submitting the license documents. On the transfer market, we are therefore "often fighting with blunt weapons", said Werner and hoped "that we will be able to move better again in the summer."