Explosive past

A “derby of respect”

The last Hartberg-GAK derby went to the team from Eastern Styria.(Bild: GEPA)

Hartberg and GAK will meet for the first time in the Bundesliga on Saturday (5pm). The two East Styrian club bosses Erich Korherr and Rene Ziesler are looking forward to a fair and sporting duel.

After the derby on June 8, 2012, there was a clash in Hartberg, when GAK hooligans provoked an inglorious stampede after missing out on promotion at 0:3. On Saturday, the Blues will clash with the Reds again for the first time - but this time everything will be fair play, as the two club bosses Erich Korherr and Rene Ziesler have agreed: the battle for the first league win will not be the "Derby of Love", but certainly a "Derby of Respect".

Hartberg chairman Erich Korherr is already looking forward to a fair Styrian derby.(Bild: GEPA)

Hartberg chairman Erich Korherr, who handed Ruben Providence over to Almere (NL) yesterday, is convinced that scenes like the one he witnessed in 2012 will never happen again: "The real GAK fans condemned the action, which came from a handful of people, back then. And now there are completely different people at the helm of the clubs. GAK has developed really well since it was refounded and in Rene Ziesler, whose company and mine have already worked together on construction sites, they have a sensible person at the helm. That's why I'm sure they'll do a good job. And there has never been any hatred towards anyone from us anyway."

There is no special security concept: "Everything is the same as against Sturm and Rapid. We give all the big teams space for 1000 fans as a courtesy, although we only have to allow 500."

There has never been a police operation in Hartberg in the Bundesliga: "All the away fans have behaved really well so far. I'm relaxed about it, because Hartberg is different! Our president even gave away drinks to away fans on her birthday." Furthermore: "We even have GAK and Sturm fans in the club who have two hearts in their chest in the derbies. But that's the spice. I'm looking forward to a great derby. Although I think we can beat anyone at home."

GAK president Rene Ziesler is hoping for the first three-pointer in the Bundesliga.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

"It's a Styrian derby that we're really looking forward to," says GAK president Rene Ziesler, "but it's a normal Bundesliga game in which we're trying to pick up points. And there's no reason to be afraid of anything! The majority of our fans weren't even there in 2012. And there's nothing like that at the current GAK!"

In sporting terms, Ziesler (who will have to give Rusek three months off after a syndesmosis ligament injury) is hoping for an increase in points: "We've seen in the first few rounds that we can keep up, and with a bit more luck we could even end up with seven points. I'm confident that we'll pick up something in the next few rounds - why not in Hartberg?"

Ziesler has a good relationship with Hartberg boss Korherr: "I have the utmost respect for what they achieved in Hartberg. I hold Erich in high esteem, we have a respectful working relationship."