"Is unacceptable"

SPÖ women’s leader sharply criticizes Boateng coup

SPÖ women's leader Eva-Maria Holzleitner criticizes the transfer of former German team player Jérôme Boateng to LASK.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/GEPA, APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Jérôme Boateng, a German world champion, will be playing in the Austrian Bundesliga in the future. As valuable as the transfer may be in sporting terms, it is viewed critically in political terms. Eva-Maria Holzleitner, the powerful women's leader of the SPÖ, is now sharply critical of the Linz transfer coup.

Siegmund Gruber, CEO of LASK, described the transfer of Jérôme Boateng as "absolute madness". As is well known, the 35-year-old has now set up camp in Linz and became world champion with Germany in 2014, winning the Champions League twice, the league nine times and the cup five times during his ten years at Bayern. Sports experts are certain that he is a sporting asset for the Bundesliga. 

The people in charge made an enormous effort for me and made it clear to me right from the start that they absolutely wanted me to join them on their chosen path!

Jérôme Boateng

Serious accusations
However, the transfer is also "absolute madness" in the eyes of several critics. Boateng will soon have to stand trial again for allegations of violence. According to German media reports, a trial at the Munich regional court will be reopened in mid-June on charges of assaulting and insulting his ex-girlfriend.

In October 2022, Boateng was sentenced in the second instance to a fine of 1.2 million euros. However, the verdict was only overturned in September 2023 due to procedural errors. A new verdict is expected in July after six scheduled trial days. Boateng is presumed innocent.

There were also allegations of violence against the professional footballer after the suicide of model Kasia Lenhardt, another ex-girlfriend of Boateng, in 2021. The German news magazine "Spiegel" reconstructed the case in a multi-part podcast series. The case was reconstructed using voice messages, files and clinical findings. 

The many critical voices have now been joined by a prominent political voice: that of SPÖ women's leader Eva-Maria Holzleitner. The football-loving Upper Austrian writes on X (formerly Twitter): "This transfer is more than incomprehensible and unacceptable!" When asked by the "Krone", she added: "Of course the presumption of innocence applies. But violence is not a private matter. Professional footballers in particular have a special role model effect".