Martin Hinteregger’s spicy business relationship with the right camp
Hinteregger defends himself against accusations of right-wing radicalism
Martin Hinteregger has firmly defended himself against allegations of right-wing extremism. “I have friends all over the world through my time in professional football and also privately, and I clearly reject accusations that I am right-wing,” wrote the 29-year-old on Instagram.
A journalist disclosed Martin Hinteregger’s business relationships. The Eintracht Frankfurt footballer runs his “Hinti Event GmbH” with a politician from the right-wing camp. After it became known, the 29-year-old distanced himself from his partner.
FSoccer professional Martin Hinteregger from Eintracht Frankfurt has broken off a business relationship with a former FPÖ municipal council and has distanced himself from right-wing ideas. “I have friends all over the world through my time in professional football and also privately, and I clearly reject accusations that I am right-wing and continue to fight any kind of discrimination!” Hinteregger wrote on Thursday in the social media networks.
The 29-year-old defender from the Frankfurt Bundesliga team was reacting to a report by journalist Michael Bonvalot. Hinteregger’s business relationship with the Austrian local politician Heinrich Sickl from the right-wing FPÖ was discussed in his blog “Standpunkt”. Sickl made headlines in 2018 because he rented premises in Graz to the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement.
Hinteregger wants to examine the allegations
“It’s unbelievable that an unknown person can claim such things about me,” Hinteregger said in a statement. He has no knowledge “of past or future activities” on the part of the Sickl family and only wants to hold a football tournament and nothing more.
“Any business relationship with the Sickl family will be terminated with immediate effect based on the current state of knowledge, and the ‘Hinti-Cup’ event will be examined as an alternative in order to clarify a further course of action,” the Austrian international continued.
According to a current excerpt from the Austrian “Register of Beneficial Owners”, which is drawn up by the Ministry of Finance, Hinteregger and Heinrich Sickl each hold a one-third stake in “Hinti Event GmbH”. Another third is held by a restaurateur. The head of defense of the Frankfurt Bundesliga club is organizing a fan event with a music festival from June 16th to 19th in his home village of Sirnitz in Upper Carinthia via “Hinti Event GmbH”.
Won the Europa League with Frankfurt in May: Martin Hinteregger
Source: dpa/Arne Dedert
Until last year, Sickl sat for the right-wing FPÖ on the municipal council of the city of Graz. He is still active in a preliminary organization of the FPÖ, namely as chairman of the Free Association of Academics in Styria.
