Power Struggle at ÖFB: Schöttel's Tenure Faces End Amid Rangnick Rift
The calm that carried Austria through a golden spell on the international stage has given way to open tension at the top of the ÖFB. On Friday, the federation’s supervisory body is expected to decide whether Peter Schöttel’s nine-year tenure will end – and all signs point in one direction.
Austrian outlets Kurier and Krone report that the sporting director has already been sidelined. Behind it lies a relationship with head coach Ralf Rangnick that insiders now describe as shattered.
The split is no longer a rumour whispered in corridors. It has been dragged into the spotlight.
“It Did Not Really Work Properly”
Marc Janko, former Austria striker and now a Sky pundit, did little to soften the picture. Speaking about the situation in the national team camp, he admitted the current turmoil does not come as a shock.
“If you ask around behind the scenes, then it is not hugely surprising,” Janko said, underlining what many within Austrian football have been murmuring for months.
He went further, outlining how the cooperation between Schöttel and Rangnick had effectively broken down.
“With Schöttel and Ralf Rangnick, it did not really work properly,” he explained. “It is indeed the case that for some time Rangnick, in all the matters that are important to him, has not been doing that via Peter, but via other people.”
In other words: the sporting director in name had long since lost his influence in practice.
End of a Successful Chapter
If Friday’s meeting confirms Schöttel’s departure, it will close one of the most successful chapters in recent ÖFB history.
The 59-year-old joined the federation in 2017 as U19 coach. Within two months, he had been promoted to overall sporting director. From that point, Austria’s national team entered a period of sustained progress on the pitch.
Under his leadership, Austria qualified for back-to-back European Championships. In both 2021 and 2024, the team reached the last 16, establishing itself as a regular presence in the knockout rounds.
The high point came last summer. After a 28-year absence, Austria finally returned to a World Cup finals. They went out in the round of 32 to eventual world champions Spain, but the symbolic weight of that qualification marked a clear milestone for the ÖFB.
Now, that same era is being overshadowed by a power struggle at the top.
Prödl Emerges as Favourite
The ÖFB has not yet announced who will step into Schöttel’s role, but the succession debate has already started. According to Krone, one internal candidate is moving to the front of the queue: Sebastian Prödl.
The former Werder Bremen defender has been in charge of the ÖFB’s youth department since 2024 and has quickly earned strong reviews for his work. Those inside the federation rate his contribution highly.
His biggest asset, though, may be political rather than structural. Unlike Schöttel, Prödl is said to enjoy an “exceptionally good” relationship with Rangnick.
In a set-up where the bond between sporting director and head coach has just torn the old order apart, that single factor could decide who shapes Austria’s next footballing chapter.
