"I made mistakes"

Pangl steps down as soccer boss of Burgenland!

Georg Pangl

(Bild: Georg Pangl)

It's the day of resignations in Austrian soccer: almost at the same time as Klaus Mitterdorfer stepped down from the top of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), Georg Pangl also took his leave as president of Burgenland's regional association (BFV)!

Pangl, who can look back on a long career in the ÖFB, at UEFA and as a board member of Austria's Bundesliga, announced his resignation "for personal reasons" at today's executive committee meeting with immediate effect.

Office only taken over last March
The 59-year-old only took over from Günter Benkö last March. The former top referee had served as president of Burgenland's soccer association from 2021 until this year. The BFV announced that they will now meet in the near future to clarify Pangl's successor.

Pangl: "I made a mistake!"
Later that evening, Pangl commented in more detail on his withdrawal via social media. "I made a mistake that was not a mistake in my footballing heart because I wanted to help the BFV save money. After being explained from a compliance perspective by colleagues on the BFV presidium, I realized that it was not a good decision," wrote the 59-year-old.

It also read: "I have taken my share of the blame and offered to reverse the mistake. Specifically, it's about the use of a rental car, with which I would have foregone money in order to give the BFV an economic advantage. That's the only reason I did it. I can say that I am the last person who would have done the job for the BFV, which I have done with great pleasure, for my own benefit." However, he had not felt the necessary support from the presidium and had been advised to resign, so he had drawn the consequences, said Pangl.