ÖFB in transition: Mitterdorfer resigns, Bartosch takes the lead!

ÖFB in transition: Mitterdorfer resigns, Bartosch takes the lead!

In a dramatic power play in Austrian football, Klaus Mitterdorfer resigns as president of the ÖFB. On November 21, 2024, just four months after taking office on July 8, Mitterdorfer declared that he was pulling the emergency brake due to public pressure and internal conflicts. The past few weeks have been marked by tensions, particularly around a planned structural reform. This situation ultimately escalated due to the demands of team boss Ralf Rangnick and other players, who mobilized against the dismissals of managing director Bernhard Neuhold and general secretary Thomas Hollerer. As the platform aktuell.at reported, there were already worrying statements about Mitterdorfer's leadership style and his ability to manage the chaos in the run-up to his decision to resign.

Mitterdorfer's resignation and the consequences

In his farewell message, Mitterdorfer explained that he had always tried to have a constructive effect on football, but had recently been unable to do so. He wants the focus to return to the sport itself. “The personal defamation and accusations of the last few weeks have put a lot of strain not only on me, but also on the ÖFB,” said Mitterdorfer. His successor, Wolfgang Bartosch, will now take over responsibility until a new presidency is elected in May 2025. Bartosch, who already saw a need for clarification in an interview with Sky, is planning a one-on-one conversation with Rangnick in order to better understand the chaotic circumstances. He also made it clear that he will maintain the already controversial dismissals of Neuhold and Hollerer, which Mitterdorfer had initiated.

The extraordinary executive board meeting scheduled for Friday to decide on the appointment of Silvia Kaupa-Götzl as the new CEO was canceled. This clearly shows that the internal conflicts are not easy to resolve. According to Nachrichten.at, Mitterdorfer sees this as an insurmountable obstacle to his reform plans. It remains to be seen whether Bartosch can successfully take the necessary steps to calm the ÖFB and implement the structural reform, while at the same time the association remains able to act. The coming months will be crucial for the future of Austrian football.