Hockey Frenzy

Harsh Criticism, Rumors, and a Call to Politicians

Theresa Schafzahl(Bild: GEPA)

Austria’s women’s ice hockey team kicks off the Four Nations Tournament on Thursday (5 p.m.) in Bardejov against host Slovakia—a dress rehearsal for the World Championship in Denmark this November. The match is overshadowed by the dispute between officials at the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV) and the players. Most of the criticism is directed at General Manager Martin Kogler—who responded to the allegations in an interview with the “Krone.”

Last weekend, members of the Austrian national team drew attention in the “Krone” to the lack of equal treatment and said they also feel the officials at the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV) fail to show them the necessary respect: “It has become clear that the people in charge are not up to the task,” said Theresa Schafzahl, one of seven players who declined to attend the camp in Slovakia due to years of discrimination, offering sharp criticism. A total of eleven top players are missing from Team Austria in Bardejov.

 Clarifies DemandsSchafzahl hopes that “politicians will get more involved; they have the power to apply pressure.” ÖEHV Vice President Nicolas Stockhammer announced a solution on ORF, “that will include everyone. We expect it to resolve all current issues.” Schafzahl, Anna Meixner, Antonia Matzka, Selma Luggin, and others are making their participation in the World Championship contingent on binding, written commitments and personnel consequences within the association.

In 2025 in St. Pölten, the team had to sleep in bunk beds.(Bild: zVg)

The greatest dissatisfaction is directed at General Manager Martin Kogler: The general consensus is that he runs a “one-man show” and is unwilling to delegate authority. In 2024, he failed to apply in a timely manner for the Ministry of Sport’s “Dream Teams” grant program—which supports women’s clubs in the top leagues. As a result, the ÖEHV lost out on approximately 160,000 euros, a large portion of which the association ultimately had to cover itself.

There were also oversights surrounding the international game against Japan last January in Innsbruck—local officials didn’t even know a game was taking place, making it difficult to find available locker rooms for both teams.

Kogler Responds to Accusations
Kogler rejects the accusation of a “one-man show” in an interview with the “Krone”: “Under my leadership as General Manager for women’s and para ice hockey, there are five national teams. Each of these national teams has its own team manager, plus a total of over 50 additional people on the coaching and support staff. To call this a ‘one-man show’ would therefore be a gross exaggeration.”

Kogler also admits, however: “I don’t deny that individual mistakes have been made along the way. Nevertheless, we are continuously working to improve our processes.” He regrets the missed funding opportunity: “It’s true that, unfortunately, a deadline was missed here—but this was a one-time mistake. It was quickly addressed internally. Since then, all funding applications have been reliably managed in collaboration with the association’s finance department.”

Head Coach Remains on Board
According to Kogler, all details regarding the international match against Japan in Innsbruck were finalized in a timely manner and communicated accordingly to the local arena officials: “I can’t say why their staff wasn’t aware of it.”

Alexander Bröms(Bild: GEPA)

Team manager Alexander Bröms is not attending the camp in Slovakia: “Due to a tragic family situation, the team manager was unable to attend the start of the training camp, but was determined to join as soon as possible. Since this situation has unfortunately worsened, it is now certain that he will miss the entire training camp and will be represented by assistant coaches Sarah Hodges and Mario Bellina,” the association announced. Recently, rumors have been circulating that Bröms would not be joining the team at all as a result of the players’ outcry: “That is not true,” the ÖEHV stated in its response.