Dhe former soccer world champion Miroslav Klose has been released after only nine months as head coach of the Austrian first division club SCR Altach. The club announced on Monday that this was “the result of a comprehensive analysis” of the sporting descent down to the last place in the table. Co-trainer Slaven Skeledzic, who came to Altach in the summer of 2022 together with the former Munich youth coach Klose, was also on leave.
“Miroslav Klose gave everything from the first to the last day and it was a huge experience to have experienced him as a coach and, above all, people in Altach,” said managing director Christoph Längle: “Even if a change of coach always hurts enormously, stands above everything that SCR Altach will also be represented in the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season.” A successor to Klose is to be presented during the week.
Sports director Georg Festetics hopes that the change of coach will give “a new impetus” for the goal of staying up in the league. Under Klose, the team drew a respectable 1-1 at champions and leaders Red Bull Salzburg last weekend. But even this draw did not save the former international.
In the 22 games of the so-called regular season of the first Austrian Bundesliga, Klose only managed four victories with the outsider club. After the points have now been halved, Altach goes into the relegation of the six worst clubs as bottom of the table with eight points. However, only one point separates the club from penultimate SV Ried – and only the bottom of the table is relegated
Former world-class striker Klose took over as coach at Vorarlberg last June. After the end of his playing career, the 44-year-old was employed at Bayern Munich as an assistant to the current national coach Hansi Flick and as a youth coach. “Miroslav has all the prerequisites to celebrate great success as a coach,” emphasized Festetics at the farewell.
