In the premier league

Storm on Klagenfurt – how the super fall is going

While the soccer world looks to Germany for the European Championship, those in charge at Sturm are also looking ahead to the footballing fall - when Klagenfurt will be on the attack in the top flight Champions League. Before that, Sturm's managing director of economics Thomas Tebbich cleared up a few rumors.

"Krone": Mr. Tebbich, there are rumours circulating that Sturm has named the Merkur Arena in Graz as a possible venue for the Champions League in addition to the Klagenfurt Arena. Is that true?
Thomas Tebbich: We have, yes. As Sturm Graz, we naturally always try to offer our fans in Graz international soccer. But if you look at the UEFA handbook on the Champions League, you quickly see that it's not feasible in Graz. So everything is clearly going in the direction of Klagenfurt. The Champions League is UEFA's top product, especially when it comes to TV broadcasts. Everything concerning sponsor presence, press center, broadcasting booths, TV studios and the like cannot be adequately represented in Graz. UEFA would therefore have to make massive cutbacks, which it does not agree to.