Legal opinion:

ÖFB president election of Bartosch was permissible

Wolfgang Bartosch(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

The election of Wolfgang Bartosch as interim president of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) is "lawful and effective". This was the conclusion reached by university professor Martin Karollus from the Johannes Kepler University Linz in a 20-page legal opinion commissioned by the ÖFB, which was sent to the ÖFB Executive Committee members on Friday evening after the virtual meeting and is also available to the APA.

The actions of General Secretary Thomas Hollerer are also deemed to be justified. At the meeting on November 29, the General Secretary, who had been dismissed in November but remained in office due to the six-month notice period, invoked a paragraph that allows the statutes to be amended outside of the General Assembly in the event of "imminent danger". The majority of the Executive Committee voted in favor of the amendment, so that in the current situation not only a Vice President, but also a "normal" member of the Executive Committee could become the association's boss, and the way was clear for Bartosch.

Götschhofer sees a "breach of the statutes"
 Upper Austria's regional association president Gerhard Götschhofer, who is also one of four ÖFB vice presidents, said he saw a "breach of the statutes" in this procedure and therefore submitted a statement of facts to the ÖFB Appeals Senate. It remains to be seen when this body will issue a statement in this case.

Bartosch believes his position has been "clearly strengthened" by the legal opinion, the Styrian told APA. "I didn't expect anything else. I always assumed that everything was legal, and this expert opinion confirms that in no uncertain terms. All counter-arguments are clearly refuted."