Escalation in Thalheim

Austria revolt! Fans visit Werner at home

Austria fans protest against former sporting director Jürgen Werner with an open letter.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Eva Manhart, Krone KREATIV/zvg)

Austria fans revolt! On their way to an away game in Ried, around 200 "Violets" visited Thalheim near Wels, the home of Jürgen Werner, to express their displeasure in an open letter. Werner resigned as sporting director in August, but remains on board as an investor and with his WTF group. The police were also called to the scene.

"Dear neighbors! Unfortunately, we have to inform you that a self-important jerk is up to no good in your neighborhood," reads the open letter from the Austria fans. "We therefore ask you to be on your guard in the near future – so that you don't become another victim of his machinations after LASK and FK Austria Wien." The flyers were apparently distributed throughout Werner's neighborhood, causing quite a stir.

Here is the open letter(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zvg)

It continues: "He did everything he could to appear to you as a good, wealthy neighbor – who likes to use this dirty money to finance expensive wines, nice evenings with his wife, houses and apartments from Portugal to Vienna. A life that shows one thing: he will stop at nothing when it comes to gaining financial advantages for himself."

Werner and his investor group WTF are not well regarded, especially among the core fan base. Behind the scenes, the club is trying to buy back the shares from Werner & Co. The goal is to complete the buyback by the end of the second quarter. It is nothing new that the club and WTF do not always see eye to eye, and not just when it comes to transfers. 

"A clear line has been crossed"
Austria promptly responded on Sunday with a statement from the club. President Kurt Gollowitzer explained: "The club clearly and expressly distances itself from such actions by the fans and condemns them in the strongest possible terms. We will take all necessary measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. This action crossed a clear line. On behalf of FK Austria Wien, I would like to express my sincere apologies to Jürgen Werner and his family."

Police also called in
According to information from "Krone," around 200 fans were reportedly present in Thalheim near Wels. As the purple crowd apparently made an aggressive impression, the police were called in. Jürgen Werner subsequently decided not to attend the game in Ried.