European Football Championship: Defending the title is not the only goal

Red-White-Red had good experiences with Hungary two years ago, when they won 41-0 in Vienna on the way to the European Championship title. The AFBÖ team has now undergone a personnel change and a new start is waiting. “We haven’t seen each other for a year now, we have a completely new squad.” “We don’t know much about the opponent, so predictions are difficult,” says Sommer. “Nevertheless, we should have more quality in the squad.”

Many team players are active with the Vienna Vikings and the Raiders Tirol in the European League of Football (ELF). After Alexander Thury’s retirement, Nico Hrouda, who plays for the Vikings in the domestic AFL league, has now taken over as quarterback. Sommer sees “no loss of quality” here. There is great anticipation for the two matches and the first appearance in the new Salzburg stadium. “A great jewel box,” said the head coach, who accompanied the Vikings to the ELF finals as offensive coordinator.

Unfinished business with Germany

If the AFBÖ team wins against Hungary and Serbia, they will be in the semi-finals. The likely opponent there would be Germany, which is hunting for a touchdown again after a long absence from the European Championship. Austria still has a score to settle with its neighbors; in 2014, they narrowly lost the European Championship final in Vienna’s Happel Stadium in front of 27,000 fans after extra time. “For us it’s less of a revenge. “We want to reach the next milestone,” said Sommer.

The first historic goal of finally becoming European champions has been achieved. Now they want to beat Germany at national team level for the first time. “To be honest, this is just as important for me personally, if not even more important,” explained the coach. However, the Germans first have to assert themselves against Sweden and Great Britain. The mode and venue of the 2025 final phase are still unclear; the AFBÖ would like a Final Four tournament.