The technical commissioner of Austria at an event of his foundation: “The only point of contact for me regarding contractual issues is the federation”
Ralf Rangnick, the day after the meeting with Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, responded to a question about his possible future at Milan. As part of an event held by his foundation, Austria’s coach responded as follows: “Everyone probably noticed that something extraordinary happened at Milan last weekend.” And then: “The only point of contact for me regarding contractual issues is and remains the Austrian federation.”
WHAT WE UNDERSTAND
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It is clear that there is nothing revelatory in those two sentences. The most relevant aspect is in the… unsaid. Rangnick did not deny the Vienna meeting and did not close the doors to Milan. As Austria coach, 20 days before the first match of the World Cup, it would have been easy to deny.
THE SITUATION WITH AUSTRIA
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The reference to the Austrian federation is not accidental. Rangnick’s contract expires in the summer, after the World Cup, and the federation’s plan is to renew it. Not only that, renew it upwards. Rangnick earns around a million net per season, a figure lower than what he would have from Milan. The federation has been trying for some time to convince some sponsors to contribute to the salary, to bring it to 2 million per year, with a plan similar to the one that the FIGC created for Antonio Conte thanks to Puma. Rangnick is certainly highly regarded in Austria. He qualified the national team for Euro 2024 and in that month of matches in Germany they won the group ahead of France and the Netherlands, before losing to Turkey in the round of 16. In the last two years, he has brought the national team back to the World Cup after 28 years: in America, Austria will play against Jordan, Argentina and Algeria. Two matches in prime time, one at midnight: the Milan fans, if necessary, will be able to connect without losing hours of sleep.
