Austrian national team coach warns against right-wing extremism

GENEVA

The coach of the Austrian national football team issued a warning against right-wing extremism in Germany and Austria.

"If, after these 100 years, you still haven't understood what has regularly led us to ruin and led to the worst upheavals imaginable, you really can't help," Ralf Rangnick told Austrian public broadcaster ORF in an interview late Thursday.

Rangnick, 65, who has coached Manchester United among others during his career, also cited the history of the two countries.

"We live in such turbulent times that you can no longer say that one is sport and the other is politics, and the two things have nothing to do with each other," said Rangnick.

"The history of our two countries, Austria and Germany, should be lesson enough for us," he added.

He called on people to take a stand in public.

Pointing to his own team as a successful example of multiethnic cohesion, he said David Alaba, Real Madrid player and "non-playing captain" of the Austrians, is spending the entire European Championship with the Austrian national team despite a knee injury.

"I think it's almost unimaginable in any other country that a player who is currently in rehab would sacrifice his entire vacation because he wants to be with the team, because he wants to support us with all his experience," said Rangnick.

He added that this should not only be a role model in football, saying: "That's how I imagine it in normal life too, that we appreciate each other."

The Austrian national team, led by Rangnick, surprisingly won the preliminary round Group D, which was considered a tough group.

Austria came on top of the group ahead of the favored French and Dutch teams.

The Austrians are set to face Türkiye in the round of 16 in Leipzig next Tuesday.