FK Austria Wien - last updated on 4 March 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Fussballklub Austria Magna Wien
Foundation: March 15th 1911
City: Wien
Colours: Purple and white
Website: www.fk-austria.at
Honours:
UEFA Champions League - 2 (1933, 1936)
Bundesliga - 23 (1924, 1926, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2003, 2006)
ÖFB-Cup - 26 (1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Supercup - 6 (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2003, 2004)
A bit of history:
Austria Wien were founded in Vienna on March 12, 1911 as the Wiener Amateur Sportvereinigung by players and officials of the Vienna Cricket- and Football- Club taking violet and white as the new club's colours. The team claimed its first championship title in 1924. Amateure changed their name to Austria in 1926 as the former amateurs had become professionals.
The 1930s, one of Austria’s most successful eras brought two Mitropa Cup titles, a predecessor of today’s UEFA Champions League (1933, 1936). During this time world class players like Matthias Sindelar wore the violet jersey.
After the Anschluss and throughout the period of Nazi domination of the country (1938–1945) most of the club’s officials and some players with Jewish heritage, had to flee or were murdered by the Nazi regime. Star player Sindelar died under unresolved circumstances on January 23, 1939 of carbon monoxide poisoning in his apartment. Even though the team did not have any success in this period, they managed a much more important victory in keeping the name "Austria" despite attempts by Nazi sports authorities to rename the club.
Post World War II a new successful era began with Austria winning national championship titles in 1949, 1950, 1953 and 1961 – 63 as well as 1969.
The 1960s marked the beginning of a golden period for FK Austria Wien, a run of 16 titles in 33 seasons between 1960 and 1993. The decade began with three titles in a row (1961, 1962 and 1963) and ended with two more (1969, 1970) under the management of Ernst Ocwirk. Stars of the 1960s included:
Horst Nemec, a fine centre-forward rated by some at the time as one of Europe's best, Ernst Fiala, another fine attacker and inspirational team leader, Johann Geyer, a cultured yet hard-working midfield schemer,
The 1970s saw the beginning of another glorious era. Between 1970 and 1975 the club was in a difficult phase. After a bad season 1974-1975 (goal difference +7) with a somewhat ageing team, the Violets began to build a young squad with average age 23 years, season 1975-1976. All squads in the 5 seasons 1975-1976 till 1979-1980 had an average age of about 23 years at the start of the seasons. The eleven seasons 1975-1976 till 1985-1986 Austria Wien won 8 national championship titles (1975-1976; 1977-1978, 1978-1979, 1979-1980, 1980-1981; 1983-1984, 1984-1985, 1985-1986, respective goal differences: +48; +43, +44, +45, +31; +56, +68, +71). After winning the national Cup, season 1976-1977, Austria Wien played the European Cup II-final (1977-1978), which it lost 4-0 against Rob Rensenbrink's Anderlecht (May 3rd 1978), the semi finals of the European Cup I (Champions Cup) were reached season 1978-1979. August 7th 1979 Ajax Amsterdam (with players Ruud Krol, Frank Arnesen, Dick Schoenaker, Soren Lerby, Tscheu La Ling and Simon Tahamata) was beaten in a friendly match 5-1 (5-0 after 39 minutes!). In a friendly match Anderlecht was beaten this time: 3-0 (August 5th 1980). Since the season 1980-1981 the average age of the successive squads went up to about 25 years at the start of the seasons. In 1982-1983 the semi finals of the European Cup II (Cup Winners' Cup)-tournament was reached, in which Real Madrid proved to be too strong. The next 2 seasons Austria Wien stranded in the quarter finales , in respectively the European Cup III (UEFA-Cup)-tournament season 1983-1984 (goal difference +16 (25-9); Aris Bonnevoie (Luxemburg) was beaten 0-5 away and 10-0 at home (15-0 on aggregate) (1st round), after a 2-0 home win from Stade Laval, away being 3-0 behind in the returnmatch Austria Wien drawed 3-3! (2nd round), Inter Milan was eliminated: 2-1 home win, 1-1 away draw) (3rd round), before Austria Wien stranded in the quarter finals: 2-0 away loss to Tottenham Hotspur, 2-2 home draw) and the European Cup I Champions Cup season 1984-1985. 3 Successive national championship titles were won, seasons 1983-1984, 1984-1985, 1985-1986 (goal differences +56, +68, +71). In these seasons friendly games against Hungary (5-2, August 31st 1983) and Werder Bremen (3-0, August 10th 1984) were won. Starting the 1985-1986 season 19 seasons without successes in the European Cup-tournaments followed, and from 1986 on also the championships results were declining and declining, with the lowest point in achievements between 1995 and 2002. Not earlier than the season 2004-2005 Austria Wien again reached the quarter finals in a European Cup-tournament (UEFA Cup-tournament). Some important players playing at Austria Wien in the successful era 1975-1976 till 1985-1986: Herbert "Schneckerl" Prohaska (1972-1980, 1983-1989), Felix Gasselich (1974-1983) who played afterwards at Ajax Amsterdam July 1983 till November 1985, Thomas Parits (1964-1970, 1977-1979), Walter Schachner (1978-1981), Thomas Pfeiler (1978-1983), Gerhard Steinkogler (1980-1986), Alfred Drabits (1981-1988) (nowadays youth-coach at Austria Wien), Toni Polster (1982-1987), the Hungarian ex-international Tibor Nyilasi (1983-1988). Afterwards also Jose Alberto Percudani (January 1988-1990), Peter Stoger (1988-1994) and Jewgenij Milewskij (1989-1991) weared the tricot of Austria Wien.
In the beginning of the 90s, FK Austria enjoyed its so far last successful era: three championship titles (seasons 1990-1991, 1991-1992, 1992-1993; but less brilliant goal differences (+39, +37, +46) than the seasons 1983-1984, 1984-1985, 1985-1986 (+56, +68, +71)), three cup titles (seasons 1989-1990, 1991-1992, 1993-1994) as well as four Super cup titles (Austrian national champion vs. Cup winner) (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) were won. Internationally there were no successes. The era 1995-2002 in the championships Austria Wien finished at the midst of the table only. The 3 seasons 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999 the goal differences had even been negative (-10, -15, -3). Apart from this there had been money problems, which stopped the club from keeping star-players.
After a period without any title (last title season 1992-1993), Austria Wien was taken over by milliardaire Frank Stronach of the Magna concern in 1999, the name of the club changing into FK Austria Memphis Magna. He invested much money into the club, buying many top players, so they won the title again in the season 2002-2003 (36 matches, goal difference +31), after a very good start of the season (12 matches, goal difference +19). Despite this coach and ex-player Walter Schachner was fired. His successor Christoph Daum got lesser results (24 matches, goal difference +12), yet Austria also won the national Cup. Austia Wien had a three times higher budget than the average clubs of the league (nowadays in 2007 Red Bull Salzburg has the highest budget in Austria). 2004 the name Memphis was deleted. Austria was known for their very fancy and creative style of playing football which on the downside has frequently led to unnecessary losses and unnecessary draws and makes the team somewhat unpredictable.In the season 2004/05 the team could reach the quarter final of the UEFA Cup,in which the Italian Parma FC proved to be the better club; in the league Austria finished 3rd only, but yet the team wasn't really weak (goal difference +40 (64-24)). On the 21st of November 2005, Frank Stonach decided to resigne from his post. As a result several players like topscorer Roland Linz, Vladimír Janočko, Joey Didulica, Libor Sionko, Filip Šebo and Sigurd Rushfeldt were transferred or signed contracts for other teams, summer 2006. The end of that season 2005-2006 the championship was won (although with a goal difference of +18 (51-33) only), and also the national Cup against Mattersburg (3-0).
The season 2006-2007 seemed to result in a small disaster. After losing 1-4 on aggregate from Benfica in the preliminary round of the Champions League, the team managed to qualify (against Legia Warsaw winning 2-1 on aggregate) for the Group Phase of the UEFA Cup-tournament, but the 1st match was lost 1-4 at home to Zulte Waregem (Belgium). Thomas Parits (ex-player Austria Wien 1964-1970, 1977-1979 and ex-coach Austria Wien 1984-1985) became the new general manager and after losing 3 days later 4-0 away to Salzburg (firing of manager and ex-player Peter Stoger and Dutch coach and ex-football-player Fred Schinkels), Georg Zellhofer became the new coach. In the Group Phase of the UEFA Cup-tournament Austria Wien collected 0 points (goal difference -8 (1-9)), in the entire European Cup-tournament a goal difference of -10 (4-14)! In the championship things also went completely wrong and it seemed Austria would relegate for the 1st time in history. After 21 rounds the club still ranked at the bottom position of the table (10th, SuperLiga), after the winter break Austria managed to finish 6th (midst of the table, goal difference 0 (43-43) in 36 rounds), and they won the national Cup. The 1st quarter of the 2007-2008 season had been a good one (after 9 rounds, goal difference +9), thereafter performances were very weak (round 10 till round 23: 14 rounds, goal difference -1) and Austria dropped to the 3rd position in the league table just before winter break. (23 rounds, goal difference +8). In the UEFA Cup-tournament Austria didn't perform so much better than in the 2006-2007 season. Indeed the 2 qualification rounds (4 matches) had been successful: goal difference +3 (9-6), but in the Group Phase things went wrong again: 4 matches only yielded 1 point and goal difference -5 (1-6) (elimination). Total goal difference this tournament yet had been not that bad as in 2006-2007: -2 (10-12).
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
FK Austria Wien -
Since March 15th 1911
