Disgusting action

Rapid: “Gravedigger” wanted poster causes outrage

The gravedigger profile of Rapid "fans" is causing a stir - krone.at has made the pictures and names of the vilified unrecognizable ...(Bild: GEPA)

Posters with the likenesses and names of the eight members of the Bundesliga Penal Senate have caused the next wave of outrage at Rapid! The club publicly distances itself from them.

"Without knowing the authorship, SK Rapid naturally distances itself from the content disseminated there," the club declared on Friday in view of the poster, on which Senate 1 was described as the "gravedigger of Volkssport", among other things.

(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

The Bundesliga and ÖFB condemned the incident "in the strongest possible terms". "The Bundesliga and the ÖFB stand behind their committee members and call on them to stop the hostility immediately," they said in a joint statement.

Appeal "to refrain from such actions"!
Rapid had previously appealed to everyone to "refrain from such actions, which can ultimately also damage the reputation of SK Rapid". "Personal hostility towards members of all Bundesliga committees and beyond is of course strictly rejected by all those responsible at SK Rapid," Rapid said.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

In the aftermath of the 3-0 derby win against Austria at the end of February, officials and players had attracted attention and been banned for verbal abuse and sometimes homophobic chants against the city rivals. Following security-related incidents, the league's Penalty and Certification Committee (Senate 1) also recently imposed a two-point deduction against Rapid for the coming season.

"Boundary of emotional criticism far exceeded"
The ÖFB and the league recalled that the rules and sanctions that the clubs had imposed on themselves through resolutions were applied. "It is in the nature of things that there are different opinions on judgments and sanctions. However, with the public personal hostility against committee members, including names and photos in the style of a wanted list, the limit of emotional criticism was far exceeded," the two soccer organizations announced.