Coach comeback

Markus Mader to fix things in Lustenau

(Bild: GEPA)

As the "Krone" had already announced, Markus Mader is back in the coaching chair at Austria Lustenau. Just over a year after he had to vacate the chair at the former Bundesliga club.

There was no need to puzzle over who would replace the unsuccessful Martin Brenner as coach at Austria for long. Markus Mader, an old acquaintance, is returning to Lustenau. "I'm very happy that the talks with Markus went well. He has the Austria DNA and is passionate about the club. I'm sure that together we can get back on the road to success with good work," said sporting director Mirco Papaleo, pleased that an agreement was quickly reached. Mader signed a contract until the summer of 2026, meaning he will coach the Green-Whites beyond the end of the season.

Together with the 56-year-old, his assistant coach Martin Schneider is also celebrating his comeback at Lustenau. Mader's return will be officially unveiled on Monday, with the club calling a press conference at short notice.

With Markus Mader, his assistant coach Martin Schneider (right) is also returning to Austria.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

 "It all happened very quickly"
In an initial statement, the man from Bregenz, who is well known in Vorarlberg, is delighted to be back on the Austria coaching bench. "Everything happened very quickly from yesterday to today, but that's the soccer business. I would like to thank those responsible at Austria for their trust and the very constructive discussions and look forward to a positive future together. Together with my staff, we will do everything we can to get the team back on track." The relegated team is currently only eleventh in the Second Division and has not won in seven competitive matches. Recently, the trend has been clearly downwards.

From July 2021 to November 2023, Mader was on the touchline as coach of the green-and-white team for a total of 86 competitive matches. After 22 years, he led Austria back to the Bundesliga, where they finished eighth straight away. After a horror autumn in 2023 with just three points from 14 games, "Mäde" had to vacate his chair. After a brief stint at SW Bregenz, which ended on April 3 of this year, Mader was without a club. He continued to follow Austria's progress and was also seen in the stadium at several home games in Bregenz. The returnee will therefore coach Austria again in the last game before the winter break at SV Lafnitz on Saturday.