Ralf Rangnick will take over the Austrian national team from the summer. A decision that gave some fans new hope. But not everyone was well received.
Former Bundesliga coach Peter Pacult has criticized Ralf Rangnick’s engagement as coach of the Austrian national team. It is disappointing and incomprehensible that the position has not been filled by an Austrian for the third time in a row, the current coach of Austria Klagenfurt told the “Kronen Zeitung”.
“Andi Herzog must feel fooled, Peter Stöger was put off. We’re somehow the only nation that doesn’t rely on its own coach.” Pacult, who had trained in Germany in 1860 Munich, among other things, asked: “Why do we train new coaches year after year if they are never considered anyway?”
Contract possible until 2026
The German Rangnick was unanimously chosen by the ÖFB executive committee on Friday to succeed his compatriot Franco Foda and will receive a two-year contract. The 63-year-old is currently in charge of Premier League club Manchester United, where he will continue to work as a consultant in the future. He will take up his new position in Austria at the end of May. The aim is to take part in the 2024 European Championships in Germany. If the qualification succeeds, the contract of the former Bundesliga coach will be automatically extended until the 2026 World Cup.
Pacult recalled that Rangnick had quarreled with many clubs. “He’s just like a professor who wants to teach others,” said Pacult about Rangnick. “I find it strange that he can continue to work as a consultant at Manchester United.”
Pacult was forced to leave RB Leipzig in 2012 after Rangnick joined the club. “Rangnick had the authority, wanted his own coaching team – which is understandable,” said Pacult. “But he didn’t even manage to contact me and tell me that I’m no longer a coach. That’s what you should expect from a man, from a sporting director.”