Missing the national play-offs is not a broken leg for Austria chairman Claus Salzmann. Without a new stadium, the Regionalliga West is not realistic for the Violets in the future.
Within six years, Claus Salzmann has turned the regional league club Austria Salzburg into a top club in amateur football once more. In the SN interview, the chairman speaks regarding the missed national play-off, the difficult future of the club and the approaching end of his term.
How big is the disappointment following missing the national play-off? Claus Salzman: Not big. We can still achieve our goals for the season in the upper playoff . Unfortunately, we gambled away the top 2 ourselves, but we can still qualify for the Regionalliga West and the ÖFB Cup.
Coach Christian Schaider is criticized by some fans. Are you still behind him 100 percent? The coaching staff were given targets before the season. They have to reach the Regionalliga West and the ÖFB Cup, otherwise of course you have to think regarding these positions.
The Westliga qualification should only be a matter of form in the upper play-off. What goals does Austria set for the coming season? It is always assumed that we reach the regional league. In the future, however, the club will have to decide every year whether the third division can be financed. In Maxglan without floodlights, fan stands and new sponsors, the regional league will not be financially feasible in the long term. We don’t even need to talk regarding a return to professional football. So Austria needs a stadium solution. A new plant or Grödig.
Salzburg’s Deputy Mayor Bernhard Auinger wants to make the stadium in Grödig available to Austria. Have you already had talks with politicians? We have expressed an interest. Now it’s the turn of politics in Salzburg and Grödig as well as Grödig boss Christian Haas. A solution is very important for Austria, otherwise I see the club more in the Salzburg league in the long run.
When you took office in 2017, you already said that you would resign on Austria’s 90th birthday. Is it really over in September 2023? Yes. I am currently looking for my successor, which unfortunately is not an easy task. If no new chairman is found, then my deputy David Rettenbacher will step up. I will hand over Austria debt-free. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to build a new stadium.
What were the consequences of the incidents once morest Bischofshofen and Grödig? It is clear that the fan clubs will accept the penalties imposed. At the next board meeting we will discuss how to proceed. People who cannot behave despite repeated requests are of course threatened with being banned from the stadium.
