Spring of the Western League

There is great disagreement when it comes to the championship tip

The six captains of the Salzburg teams: Zia, Kircher, Perlak, Ajibade, Tandari and Pertl (from left).

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Before the spring kick-off in the Regionalliga West, the "Krone" asked the six captains of the Salzburg representatives to take part in a Q&A session. They also let us in on their secrets. At Austria, a kicker still misjudges his arrival time, in Kuchl someone never arrives on time. In St. Johann, a player sometimes takes too long to nap. Opinions differ when it comes to the winner of the title race.

Question 1: Who is the funniest player in your team?

Rene Zia (Austria Salzburg): There is one really funny one and he also thinks he's the funniest. That's Marinko Sorda. He brings jokes and jibes into the dressing room.
Elias Kircher (Bischofshofen): Everyone in our team has their own sense of humor. It's particularly exciting that we have so many different mentalities and cultures in the team - that makes it all the more fun and varied.
Michael Perlak (Kuchl): That's Horst Nestaval. He's often funny, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Benjamin Ajibade (St. Johann): Florian Ellmer, but everyone else would say it's me. But calling myself that would be stupid.
Tamas Tandari (FC Pinzgau): Ammar Hasanovic. He's just as crazy as any goalkeeper.
Thomas Pertl (Wals-Grünau): Gerhard Brennsteiner knows the answer to everything, brings a joke into the dressing room and is our joker.

Question 2: Who is most often late for the meeting point?

Rene Zia (Austria Salzburg): Alexander Schwaighofer is often late because he still doesn't know how long it takes to drive from Unken to Salzburg.
Elias Kircher (Bischofshofen): I don't want to give an answer to that.
Michael Perlak (Kuchl): Albin Begovic. He has different reasons, there is no day of the week when he is on time.
Benjamin Ajibade (St. Johann): Again myself, I often get to the meeting point at the last minute. Actually, Florian Ellmer does too.
Tamas Tandari (FC Pinzgau): Raphael Streitwieser, because he always has to work. He always comes to Saalfelden from Salzburg and gets stuck in traffic.
Thomas Pertl (Wals-Grünau): Christian Schnöll. He's a policeman and usually says that work is to blame.

Pinzgau's Raphael Streitwieser is often late for the meeting point.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Question 3: Who pays the most into the penalty box?

Rene Zia (Austria Salzburg): I'm not sure if Fabian Windhager played in the Bundesliga, because he didn't know how to defend there.
Elias Kircher (Bischofshofen): I don't want to give an answer to that.
Michael Perlak (Kuchl): Fabian Altmanninger, because he's the worst hockey player in our team.
Benjamin Ajibade (St. Johann): Rinor Bytyqi. He has all kinds of offenses. From being late to wearing the wrong clothes to oversleeping, he's got it all.
Tamas Tandari (FC Pinzgau): Lukas Moosmann because of the yellow cards due to criticism and also because of the yellow-red and red cards. He's the champion.
Thomas Pertl (Wals-Grünau): Savo Pajic often has a lot of false confidence. And he's captain for the youngsters, so he pays when one of the young players forgets something.

Rinor Bytyqi often pays into the St. Johann team coffers.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Question 4: What do you think makes the Westliga special?

Rene Zia (Austria Salzburg): There are always a few surprise teams that you wouldn't have expected. There are outliers both at the top and at the bottom.

Elias Kircher (Bischofshofen): On the one hand, the supra-regional focus, which attracts more attention. On the other hand, the overall high level - the league offers a real opportunity to recommend yourself for professional soccer.
Michael Perlak (Kuchl): I think it's attractive for most people to play in the top amateur league. Whether it always needs to be reformed, I don't know.
Benjamin Ajibade (St. Johann): The cross-country competition. I think the Westliga as it is now is the best. The high level of effort put in by the clubs makes the league stand out.
Tamas Tandari (FC Pinzgau): I think the regional league with Vorarlberg and Tyrol is just awesome. The way it was before, when you only played in Salzburg, we played Seekirchen 20 times in one year. If you win in Vorarlberg, the bus trip is great.
Thomas Pertl (Wals-Grünau): The comparison with Vorarlberg and Tyrol. The variety and the bus journey have more of a professional flair.

Question 5: Who will win the championship title this season?

Rene Zia (Austria Salzburg): Austria Salzburg, I can't say anything else.
Elias Kircher (Bischofshofen): The race will be extremely close. Austria and Imst are both very strong teams - on an equal footing. So the team most likely to come out on top will be the one that is spared the worst luck with injuries.
Michael Perlak (Kuchl): It will be a close race, but I believe that Austria will come out on top in the end.
Benjamin Ajibade (St. Johann): Imst will come out on top in the end.
Tamas Tandari (FC Pinzgau): Good question. Either Austria or Imst. It will be very close.
Thomas Pertl (Wals-Grünau): I think it will be Imst.