Jantscher mourns

Sturm legend’s future is now clear!

Sturm legend Jakob Jantscher mourns the loss of his dog Luigi.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Last August, Jakob Jantscher took off his Sturm kit to treat himself to an exotic adventure at the end of his career. Since then, the 35-year-old has been playing for champions Kitchee in the glittering metropolis of Hong Kong. His contract expires at the end of the season, and "JJ" now talks about his future in the "Steirerkrone". 

There will be no Easter vacation at home for Jakob Jantscher. The league continues at the weekend. "My family have flown home now, I'm celebrating my comeback. I've been out of action for the last three weeks with a torn muscle fiber," says the veteran, who is in the thick of the title fight with Kitchee. They are two points behind league leaders Lee Man, but have played one game less. Jantscher's record with the exotic club is impressive: 21 games, eleven goals!

Nevertheless, the sporting challenge in Asia is never-ending. Hardly any spectators, even the matches in the Champions League didn't draw any fans from behind the stove. In addition, Kitchee is hardly challenged in the Hong Kong League. The average attendance is 942, a bitter second division charm, so to speak. "When we play against weak opponents, I'm told to stay at home and take a break. The club plays with a two-man line-up and still wins clearly," explains the Styrian, who has had visitors in recent days. Ten Sturm fans made the long journey to visit their idol in the distant country. "I was extremely happy and touched by that. It's a very long journey."

Jakob Jantscher will end his Hong Kong adventure.(Bild: Jantscher)

Kitchee wants the black icon to extend his contract, and other clubs from Thailand and South Korea have already expressed interest. But Jantscher will end his adventure in three months. "The club suits me, it's really great. But recently I've been thinking a lot about whether it's worth adding another year. I've seen and experienced so much in my career. I don't need it financially, and there are more important things in life. My grandparents aren't getting any younger, our dog Luigi died recently after 14 years at our side and we weren't at home in Graz," says the former legionnaire (Holland, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia).

Back to the Green Mark for the striker, who made 250 appearances for Sturm. But "JJ" is far from thinking about retiring. "I'm fit and still really enjoy playing soccer. I could imagine Sturm II, Voitsberg would also be exciting."