Solution among friends

“The malice against Toni must finally come to an end”

Toni Polster, here with granddaughter Frida, turns 60 on Sunday.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

The man with the innate wit turns 60 on Sunday. Toni Polster spoke to the "Krone" newspaper about idol Hans Krankl, a schnitzel with Lothar Matthäus and the "scornless" Andi Herzog. Heinz Palme recalls a wonderful anecdote with Polster and explains why Toni's efforts to have three goals from "unofficial" international matches recognized should be resolved among soccer fans: "This is not a court case."

Palme, former manager of the national team, emphasizes: "Anyone who now makes fun of Toni for demanding recognition of these games has probably learned nothing from history. He or she may have been among those who made fun of Toni before November 15, 1989. Perhaps also among those who booed him mercilessly in the stadium or symbolically in front of the television before the game. And Toni still scored three goals to send Austria to the 1990 World Cup. If Polster had turned tail before the game and ended his career in a huff, the ÖFB's official sporting and economic balance sheet would look different."