License decision

From hell to heaven in one year

This time, Austria wants to cheer.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

In April 2023, Austria president Claus Salzmann made a shock statement about the future of the club. On Monday, the city dwellers will make a big decision.

"We can't keep up with the competition financially, we have to make sure that we stay in the Regionalliga West next season ..." With this statement, Austria Salzburg president Claus Salzmann caused a huge shock in the violet camp a year ago in April 2023. According to Salzmann, the aim at the time was to keep just 14 players. The rest were to be filled with players from 1b. No sign of big dreams, let alone a return to professional soccer.

Words that in retrospect almost seem like a bad joke, or at least were definitely exaggerated. In the meantime, everything has changed. Today, the board led by chairman David Rettenbacher will decide whether to make a second attempt at a second league license after being rejected in the first instance.

"The dream is alive!"
The road to today has been anything but easy. The ongoing stadium problems had already put the Austrian club through the wringer long before that. The future of the city club hung by a thread for a long time. Also because the club was politically caught between two stools, being played back and forth like a ping-pong ball.

A game of ping-pong that seems to be over for the time being now that the Maxglan site has been secured. But it wasn't just the venue that caused major problems for those responsible.

The second division adventure ended in disappointment.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

In mid-September, the Violets took part in the workshop for the 2nd division. "It's simply about gathering information. If we really want to try for promotion," said the "Präse" at the time. This "if" came sooner than expected, just two months later it was said: "We will submit an audited balance sheet, that's the first step, the dream is alive!" A dream that initially seemed impossible, according to his own statement, could become reality after all. The rest is history. In the end, the financing will decide today. Is the 2nd division venture secured for three years? Mistakes like in 2015 should be avoided at all costs. Exciting hours await.