Before the 344th Vienna Derby: Austria and Rapid Rely on Mutual Respect

Before the 344th Vienna Derby on Sunday, Austria and Rapid committed to a change in mentality on Friday at the Vienna City Hall in the presence of Mayor Michael Ludwig. "Eternal rivalry yes, competition yes, enmity and hatred no," appealed the financial director of Wiener Austria, Harald Zagiczek, to the fans.

Numerous Stadium Bans After Riots at Vienna Derby

Rapid won the first season duel with Austria 2:1 on September 22, after which massive fan riots occurred in the stadium. Injured police officers and hundreds of charges, mainly due to pyrotechnic offenses, were the result. In the aftermath, a good two dozen stadium bans lasting up to nine years were imposed - 18 at Austria, five at Rapid. Both clubs received fines of 150,000 euros each, with the Violets applying for a penalty reduction. Both clubs now held a media-effective press conference together on Friday in the presence of their entire leadership team and Mayor Ludwig (SPÖ). The tenor was: The city derby is a Viennese cultural asset, respect and fairness are paramount. Ludwig praised the clubs' joint efforts and drew a parallel to the current domestic political situation. "If it is possible to bring Rapid and Austria to a joint press conference, then we will probably soon be able to form a federal government," said the city leader.

Before Vienna Derby: "Games Without Our Own Fans Hurt"

Rapid's managing director Steffen Hofmann and Austria's board member Zagiczek reiterated the consequences already taken, namely the renunciation of away fans in the next four duels and the imposed stadium bans. The fan renunciation "was not easy for us. These games hurt us as clubs. The fans are the salt in the soup. But what we do not want to see are the things that happened recently. We are in constant exchange with each other and are looking at how we will handle this in the future," explained Hofmann. Zagiczek emphasized that Austria and Rapid have set the goal of preventing such incidents in the future. "We have reacted and hope the learning effect takes hold." Both clubs have also established a working group involving the Ministry of the Interior, where regular exchanges take place. "It's about a joint exchange of knowledge and a joint learning," said Zagiczek, who spoke of three meetings so far.

Rapid and Austria Reject "Death-and-Hate Mentality"

Respect is unfortunately not lived by all fans, said the Austria board member. "It is very important that this sometimes terribly communicated attitude, this 'death-and-hate mentality' is discarded." That both clubs compete is completely fine. But: "It is important that mutual respect and the basis for conversation are maintained. I believe that we live and show this. I also believe that this can be reproduced to the fans through constant awareness-raising. This is a long-term process, but we remain continuously committed," promised Zagiczek.

(APA/Red)

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