ÖFB dismisses sporting director Peter Schöttel after nine years

Austria’s Football Association, known as the ÖFB, has parted ways with sporting director Peter Schöttel after nearly nine years, ORF reported. Schöttel, who lives in Trausdorf, appeared live on Saturday on the Barbara Karlich Buchklub programme on Radio Burgenland.

The ÖFB announced the decision on Friday evening after a meeting of its supervisory board at the association’s campus in Vienna. It cited “different views regarding the future strategic direction and structure of the position”.

Supervisory board chairman Josef Pröll thanked Schöttel for his work, which he said had been marked by many successes for the ÖFB. Schöttel said he accepted the decision and thanked all staff, particularly the sports directorate, for nine years of good and collegial cooperation.

Schöttel took over as sporting director in October 2017, succeeding Willi Ruttensteiner. During his tenure, Austria’s men’s national team reached its first World Cup since 1998 and advanced to the last 16 at the European Championships in 2021 and 2024.

However, since Ralf Rangnick became national team coach in spring 2022, not all key sporting decisions went through Schöttel, a former international player.

Schöttel attended this summer’s World Cup in North America. His scheduled report on the tournament and Austria’s 3-0 defeat by eventual world champions Spain in the last 32 was brief, although he spoke at length about his work over the previous years and highlighted his achievements.

That did not prevent his dismissal. According to APA information, the decision was passed with three abstentions and no votes against it.

Rangnick instead delivered the detailed, approximately one-hour analysis of the World Cup. The German coach did not comment on Schöttel’s position during his first attendance at a meeting of the association’s top body in more than two years. He left after his presentation and was therefore no longer present when the board discussed Schöttel’s departure.

Schöttel was also accused of becoming insufficiently involved in the association’s ongoing strategy process.

Prödl considered as possible successor

During his nine years in office, Schöttel helped appoint two coaches for the men’s national team. In 2017, before Rangnick, this was Franco Foda. In the women’s programme, Schöttel gave Irene Fuhrmann the opportunity to take charge in 2020; she led the team to the European Championship quarter-finals in 2022. Alexander Schriebl succeeded her in 2024, before the ÖFB replaced him with Dane Lars Söndergaard in April.

One highlight was the men’s under-17 team finishing as world runners-up in Qatar last year.

Sebastian Prödl is considered one possible successor to Schöttel. The former international player became head of the youth national teams’ sporting programme at the start of 2025, also at Rangnick’s request for additional staff in the sensitive area. Among other responsibilities, the 39-year-old oversees how the association deals with players who are eligible to represent several countries because of their backgrounds.

According to APA information, a decision on Schöttel’s successor is expected by the end of this year. Pröll is due to discuss the next steps for the sporting director position at a press conference on Monday, when Rangnick will also announce his squad for the upcoming Nations League campaign.