Carinthia lags behind

After “Hinti” & “Burgi”: Where are the A-team players?

Hinteregger (center) and Burgstaller (right) were Carinthia's last ÖFB senior team players.

(Bild: Pessentheiner/w. pessentheiner)

Austria Klagenfurt, the WAC and the Carinthian Football Association react to the new demand of the state, which only wants to support one academy instead of two. Sad: For 15 years now, no Carinthian ÖFB A-team player has come from an academy in our province. .

Only one "AKA Carinthia" in our province? The demand by state sports director Arno Arthofer to unite the academies of Austria Klagenfurt and the WAC under the auspices of the Carinthian Football Association (KFV) is causing discussion in the soccer camp.

In this column, Claudio Trevisan, head of sport at the "Kärntner Krone", sheds light on the local soccer scene.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

"That's too vague"
How do the clubs see it? Austria Klagenfurt's AKA boss Robert Micheu: "There are too many unanswered questions. I also don't think we have enough quality for two academies - we have to do something for the width, we hardly have any regional league teams! Arthofer also needs to say exactly what funding is available, otherwise it's too vague!"

"Are ready for talks"
Wolfsberg's AKA boss Walter Kogler emphasizes: "We don't say yes to everything, but we are ready for talks - these should really take place with all parties involved!"

"An academy would be expedient"
KFV sports director Wolfgang Robatsch: "Only one academy would be effective - there is currently not enough quality for two training groups, we are not that well positioned in Carinthia. A joint AKA should definitely play in the ÖFB Youth League."

Like Vorarlberg and Burgenland
If you measure the output in terms of senior players, things look bleak. Our federal state (like Vorarlberg and Burgenland) currently has no ÖFB senior team players.

"Burgi" and "Hinti"
The last Carinthians to wear the eagle on their chest were Guido Burgstaller (26 appearances/last brief comeback in 2023, retired in 2019) and Martin Hinteregger (67/last in 2022).

Carinthia's 34 senior national team players:

• Friedl Koncilia (84 appearances)
• Martin Hinteregger (67)
• Franz Wohlfahrt (59)
• Zlatko Junuzovic (55/grew up in Kühnsdorf, trained at GAK)
• Gerhard Sturmberger (43)
• Ernst Melchior (36)
• Walter Kogler (28)
• Guido Burgstaller (26)
• Gilbert Prilasnig (16)
• Werner Kriess (15)
• Hans-Dieter Mirnegg (15)
• Roland Kollmann (11)
• Dieter Ramusch (10)
• Matthias Dollinger (7)
• Walter Ludescher (7)
• Ewald Türmer (7)
• Peter Koncilia (6)
• Wolfgang Knaller (4)
• Stefan Hierländer (3)
• Walter Hochmaier (3)
• Peter Hrstic (3)
• Wolfgang Mair (3)
• Thomas Höller (2)
• Alois Jagodic (2)
• Herwig Kircher (2)
• One match: Heinz Arzberger, Hubert Baumgartner, Robert Fendler, Günther Golautschnig, Johannes Jank, Arnold Koreimann, Klaus Rohseano, Manuel Weber, Thomas Weissenberger.

Hierländer, Junuzovic, Weber. . .
Stefan Hierländer (3 appearances/last time in 2018), Zlatko Junuzovic (55 appearances/last time in 2017), who grew up in Carinthia but trained in Styria, and Manuel Weber (one minute played in 2011) follow behind.

Hierländer is the last ÖFB A-team player to come through a Carinthian academy.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Hierländer (he will turn 34 in February) is in any case the last Austrian A-team player to come through a Carinthian academy - namely that of Austria Carinthia from 2007 to 2010. Neither KFV (2010 to 2014), WAC (since 2014) nor Austria (although the latter has only existed since 2020!) have produced a red-white-red senior international in the past 15 years. Everyone knows that this output is definitely too low. .