Football: Gollowitzer Remains Austria President

Kurt Gollowitzer was re-elected as president by the ordinary members with 92.6 percent at the general assembly of Wiener Austria on Thursday evening. The Burgenlander has been leading the football Bundesliga club since May 2023 and is now starting his second four-year term, which will run until 2029. Meanwhile, board member Harald Zagiczek gave a positive outlook regarding the club's financial development.

The annual financial statement for the previous season 2024/25 shows a negative result of 7.7 million euros. Adjusted for the stadium sale, which will only take effect in the new financial year, the liabilities were reduced to around 35 million euros. This value is significantly below the approximately 75 million euros in liabilities that the Bundesliga will publish on December 1 with reference to the previous season, according to a club announcement.

"Very Strong Second Half of the Year"

The new A-license criterion, which requires that negative equity must be reduced by ten percent annually, will be met by Austria, with the key period being from January 1 to December 31, 2025. "From an economic perspective, we are experiencing a very strong second half of the year and have taken all necessary measures to reduce the negative equity accordingly by the end of the year. We will definitely meet this licensing criterion," explained Zagiczek. "Our goal is to achieve a positive annual result in the current financial year 2025/26 - this will be challenging, but it is realistic due to several successful measures."

In the annual financial statement of the previous season (1.7.2024-30.6.2025), the stadium sale including the repayment of the associated liabilities is not yet included, as the transaction only became legally effective in the new financial year, Austria announced. For the current financial year and the coming years, the annual result will improve by around four million euros per year due to the elimination of stadium depreciation and significantly reduced interest expenses - minus the future stadium rent to be paid. "The transfer revenues from the sales of Dominik Fitz and Maurice Malone will also flow into the current financial year," said Zagiczek.

(APA/Red)

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