Meeting on Friday

Search for new ÖFB interim president difficult

The ÖFB meets in Vienna on Friday.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The next act in the drama surrounding the disputes in the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) will take place on Friday. Eight days after the resignation of Klaus Mitterdorfer, an interim head will be sought at the national association's executive committee meeting. 

According to the current statutes, only the four current vice presidents Josef Geisler (Tyrol), Johann Gartner (Lower Austria), Gerhard Götschhofer (Upper Austria) and Philip Thonhauser (Bundesliga) are eligible.

Each of the quartet would probably find it difficult to secure the necessary majority of seven votes. It also remains to be seen how motivated Geisler, Götschhofer and Thonhauser are to stand for this position. Gartner already acted as interim ÖFB boss in spring 2023, but is likely to have maneuvered himself offside with his interview about alleged boycott threats from the team players. Therefore, a solution with a president who is not one of the four vice presidents does not appear to be completely out of the question.

Discussions in a Viennese hotel are not only about Mitterdorfer's successor at short notice, but also about bringing forward the Federal General Assembly planned for May 18, 2025 in Bregenz, including the election of the new ÖFB president. Accordingly, the chairman of the election committee could also be nominated on Friday.

ÖFB meeting with long agenda
In contrast to the extraordinary presidium meeting canceled the previous week, the upcoming meeting of the highest ÖFB body has been fixed for a long time. The appointment of an interim head is just one, albeit probably the most important, item on the agenda. Other topics on the agenda include financial matters, Thomas Hollerer (ÖFB General Secretary) and Bernhard Neuhold (ÖFB Managing Director), who have already resigned but are still in the process of being appointed, as well as the structural reform initiated by Mitterdorfer.

The Bundesliga representatives want to present a detailed concept on the latter topic. However, there will be no vote on the unresolved issue of direct promotion from the regional league to the 2nd division, where a working group has been set up.