The new Austrian football team boss is called Ralph Rangnick. The German was named Franco Foda’s successor by the ÖFB Presidium in Vienna on Friday and received a provisional contract for two years. In the event of a successful qualification for the 2024 European Championships in Germany, the cooperation will automatically be extended by two more years until the 2026 World Cup in the USA.
Rangnick will work as an interim coach for Manchester United until the end of the season, the first international matches under his leadership will be in June as part of the Nations League, when it is against Croatia (3rd/away), Denmark (6th/home, 13th/away) and France (10th / home) goes. The 63-year-old is considered the mastermind of the Red Bull game philosophy, he was sports director in Salzburg from 2012 to 2015.
Peter Stöger and the former Swiss team boss Vladimir Petkovic were rumored to be other promising candidates. With Rangnick’s appointment, the ÖFB selection will have their third foreign team boss in a row after Swiss Marcel Koller and German Franco Foda. The last time the domestic national team was looked after by an Austrian coach was on October 11, 2011. When it was 0-0 in Kazakhstan, Willi Ruttensteiner was in office on an interim basis.
“We are very pleased that in Ralf Rangnick we have been able to win an outstanding expert in international football as team boss. We are all convinced that he is the ideal man and that his vision will advance the national team and the ÖFB,” said ÖFB- President Gerhard Milletich.
Sports director Peter Schöttel was naturally also satisfied: “After a very well-founded and intensive process, we have been able to win Ralf Rangnick, an absolutely top man with a great international reputation as team boss. That makes me very proud and I’m really looking forward to working together .”
The designated team boss has already announced his goal: “It’s an honor for me to take on the role of team boss. I’m particularly excited about the prospect of contesting the European Championships in Germany with a young team hungry for success,” said Rangnick, who brings Lars Kornetka to the ÖFB as an assistant coach.