FK Austria Wien

Whereas Rapid was always considered a working-class club, Austria Wien traditionally had the support of the country’s middle class. Like their inter-city rivals, Austria is among the most successful clubs in both its city and the country at large. In addition to never having been relegated from the top flight, they have claimed dozens of Austrian Championships and Austrian Cups. The club’s full name is Fuβballklub Austria Wien.

Team line-up in 2011.

History

Early history and annexation

Though Austria was officially founded in 1911, its roots can be traced back to the formation of the Vienna Cricket Club in 1892. Eventually, the differences within the organization led to the creation of a new cricket club in 1910. One year later, the club added a football section and changed its name to Wiener Amateur-SV. They won two championships under that name before turning professional in 1926 and adopting the moniker Fuβballklub Austria Wien.

Led by the great Matthias Sindelar, Austria went on to claim two Mitropa Cups during the ‘30s. Their good streak was interrupted by the annexation of Austria in 1938, which led to many of the Jewish players and staff being killed or fleeing the country. Sindelar himself passed away under mysterious circumstances in 1939. For the duration of WWII, the weakened Austria participated in the Gauliga Ostmark, but they never managed to finish higher than fourth place.

Road to greatness

The end of WWII saw Austria recover and emerge as one of the best teams in the country. Central midfielder Ernst Ocwirk matured into one of the best players in the world, and played a key part in Austria winning three titles in 1949, 1950, and 1953. The following decade was even more successful, as the club won three straight championships from 1961 to 1963, capping off this period with another two titles in 1969 and 1970.

In 1973, Austria fused with a Vienna-based club called Wiener AC. The new club was called FK Austria WAC Wien until 1977, when the fusion was undone and Austria returned to its roots. The club won just one Austrian Bundesliga title during this period, but then went on to dominate the domestic competition by claiming seven championships from 1978 to 1986. This team included star players such as Herbert Prohaska, Walter Schachner, and Thomas Parits.

On the international stage, Austria reached the final of the 1978 Cup Winners’ Cup. After winning both of their previous matches on penalties, Austria’s luck finally ran out and they were trounced by Anderlecht 0-4. Next season, they made it all the way to the European Cup semi-finals, where they lost 0-1 to Malmö FF. In 1983, they put up strong resistance to Real Madrid in the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals, but eventually lost 3-5 on aggregate.

The new management

The ‘90s started off in great form for Austria, as they won three straight titles from 1991 to 1993. However, the rising financial problems forced the management to sell most of the club’s key players, which led to a significant drop-off in performance. After struggling throughout the decade, the club was bought off by Magna Corporation. The club’s name was changed to FK Austria Memphis Magna, and their financial situation quickly improved.

Under new management, Austria claimed two Bundesliga titles in 2003 and 2006. Two years later, Magna owner Frank Stronach decided to form a new club called FC Magna, which forced Austria to reorganize its structure again. That same year, the club’s name was reverted to FK Austria Wien. They went on to claim their 24th Bundesliga title in 2013, though this turned out to be just the prelude to Salzburg’s dominance.

By Martin Wahl

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FK_Austria_Wien
http://www.fk-austria.at/en/club/history/
https://www.stadiumguide.com/franzhorrstadion/
Image sources:
Aleksandr Osipov