Fan madness in Berlin

Collective sweating for Austria’s national team

The Red Hot Austrian fans also had fun in Berlin with "HotRods" in the colors of the European Championship participating countries.(Bild: Red Hot Austrian Fans)

The Red Hot Austrian fans from the Mühlviertel are getting really hot in their outfits at the European Championships, and not just at sauna temperatures in the Berlin subway. Sweat and a beer shower have already led to a visit to the dry cleaners. Just in time for the Holland match, every red-white-red suit was clean again.

Team boss Ralf Rangnick, ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel and former team stars Marc Janko and Heimo Pfeifenberger - they all posed with the Red Hot Austrian fans. The jolly bunch from the Mühlviertel region is one of the most conspicuous fan clubs of the Austrian national soccer team.

Team boss Ralf Rangnick has also posed with the Red Hot Austrian Fans.(Bild: Red Hot Austrian Fans)

With their red-white-red suits, they are also a real eye-catcher at the European Championships in Germany. Club founder Christian Wolfmayr grins: "The lederhosen have already been worn many times and with this outfit we attract attention everywhere. Especially when we perform as a group."

As a group, the Red Hot Austrian Fans also attract a lot of attention in Berlin.(Bild: Red Hot Austrian Fans)

Two suit wearers once played in the Bundesliga
In Berlin, they drove a lap with "HotRods" in the colors of the participating countries. Members Christian "Bobby" Schilcher (LASK) and Alexander Hartl (Vorwärts Steyr) once even played in the Bundesliga. Other members, who are all around 50 years old, played in the regional and national leagues. The only (minor) problems so far have been a beer shower in the game against Poland and the sauna temperatures in the Berlin subway. Wolfmayr smiles: "Some suits have already had to be dry cleaned."

Martin Wachter is one of the pre-singers in the fan curve.(Bild: Martin Wachter)

Vocally powerful in the two sectors at the marathon gate
Martin Wachter, president of the ÖFB fan club Blutgruppe Rot-Weiß-Rot, is one of the pre-singers in the curve. The Styrian is convinced that the atmosphere in Berlin's Olympic Stadium will also be tremendous on Tuesday against Holland: "Even if we, as the away team, have the two sectors at the Marathon goal again. That's not easy. But the alternating chants worked really well in the game against Poland."

Gernot Thierschädl, chairman of the ÖFB fan club GLBG Crew, will be involved in the choreography.(Bild: Gernot Thierschädl)

"We're going up against Holland"
Gernot Thierschädl, chairman of the ÖFB fan club GLBG Crew, is also involved in the choreography. In Düsseldorf he helped to distribute thousands of red-white-red fisherman's hats, in Berlin thousands of Austrian flags. Like Wachter and Wolfmayr, Thierschädl is also certain: "We're going up against Holland."