Coach disappeared during World Cup qualifiers

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The team boss, Ralf Rangnick, has embarked on a confrontational approach with the leadership of the Austrian (Site notre blog d’information) Association. The long-serving Bundesliga coach has made it clear there have been no discussions about a contract extension. At the same time, he announced that he would say goodbye if he failed to qualify for the World Cup and criticized the separation from former general manager Bernhard Neuhold. “You can’t take us for fools and think we’re stupid,” Rangnick said.

The 66-year-old, in office since May 2022, led the ÖFB team to the final of the European Championship and reached the round of 16 there. In a total of 30 games, he scored an average of 1.87 points, a score that no coach with more than two games away has surpassed this century.

In May this year, he turned down an offer from FC Bayern and decided to stay in Austria. There was never any talk of extending the contract beyond December 2025 or expanding the skill set, which Rangnick said was not necessary. These points were only addressed by ÖFB President Klaus Mitterdorfer, who declined to comment at the request of the Austrian press agency “APA”.

For Rangnick, it is clear that the principle of performance is above all. “If we don’t qualify for the World Cup, I won’t be team manager one day later, whether I still have a contract or not. I wanted to make it clear again.

Rangnick: ÖFB team suffers damage following Neuhold’s exit

The coach was upset by the separation from his close contact Neuhold, who was managing director of the ÖFB trading companies. “Canceling Neuhold overnight without replacement does not work without harming the national team. Because he is the first point of contact for any problems we encounter. If you decide that Bernhard Neuhold is no longer there, then an equivalent or better replacement must be there for him on the same day,” Rangnick explained.