By Andrew Lord

24 June 2022

Martin Hinteregger has announced his retirement from top flight football at just 29 years of age following a period of intense criticism for his links to a far-right politician. The Austrian centre-back’s contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, which was due to expire in 2024, has been terminated with immediate effect.

Hinteregger has signed for SGA Sirnitz, who play in the fifth tier of Austrian football.

Hinteregger released a statement explaining his position: “Last autumn I had already started to think about retiring at the end of the season. I found myself in a difficult period from a sporting perspective: my performances were fluctuating. That’s why I enjoyed the Europa League victory so much, as I already knew it would be my last big victory celebration with the fantastic fans in this city, which has become my second home.”

He added: “In the past few weeks, a number of issues have arisen with regard to the ‘Hinti-Cup’, which I have organised with my heart and soul and a clear conscience, the implications of which only became clear to me afterwards. Emotional and perhaps thoughtless words from me have led to consternation and I would like to apologise for that. I very much regret this. I would like to clearly reiterate that I condemn right-wing, intolerant and inhumane ideology in the strongest possible terms. Anyone who knows me is aware of this. I now need to take a step back and re-orientate my life.”

Fury over links to a far-right politician

The Hinti Cup is a football tournament organised by Hinteregger along with his business partner Heinrich Sickl, who is a councillor for the right-wing populist party FPÖ. In the 1990s, Sickl was a member of Nationalist Front, a German neo-Nazi organisation and it has recently emerged that he rented premises to the far-right Identitarian Movement Austria.

Just over two weeks ago, when Hinteregger’s links to Sickl emerged along with the revelation that the Hinti Cup was to be held at an estate owned by Sickl’s mother, Hinteregger cut ties with Sickl and released a statement on Instagram.

“Like the Sickl family, I am rooted in Sirnitz — I wanted to show my appreciation and say thank you to the fans, patrons and supporters from my childhood through the Hinti Cup. That’s why I have been looking for a suitable location for the event.

I have no knowledge of the past or future activities on the part of the Sickl family — I just want a football tournament to take place and nothing more. Any business relationship with the Sickl family will be terminated with immediate effect due to the current state of knowledge, and there will be a search for alternatives for the Hinti Cup in order to examine a further course of action. I have friends all over the world both privately and through my time in professional football. I emphatically reject accusations that I am right-wing oriented. I continue to stand up against any kind of discrimination!”

Markus Krösche, the sporting director of Eintracht Frankfurt said: “Martin’s decision came unexpectedly, but he presented his reasons to us in a clear and convincing manner. Therefore, there was no question about us granting him his wish, which is painful for us from a sporting perspective, but personally understandable. Martin will always be welcome in Frankfurt as a creditable player and Europa League winner, not least due to his sincere apology for his behaviour in the recent days and weeks, and for clearly and credibly distancing himself from right-wing ideology.”

Hinteregger sustained an injury in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final against West Ham and was substituted after just eight minutes. He missed the rest of the season, which included Frankfurt’s Europa League victory in the final against Glasgow Rangers.

From a defender to a striker

The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung has reported that Hinteregger has now signed for SGA Sirnitz, who play in the fifth tier of Austrian football. Instead of preventing goals, he will be attempting to get on the scoresheet in his new role as a striker. Hinteregger’s father Franz, who is in charge of the club’s youth team, said: “We are glad that he is returning to the club after a 17-year absence.”

Hinteregger will be returning to the club where he began his youth career. He later signed for Red Bull Juniors, the former second team of RB Salzburg, in 2009, eventually making the transition to Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga on three occasions. In 2016, he joined Borussia Mönchengladbach on a loan deal and was signed by Augsburg for £9.4 million in the summer of that year. He was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 and the club made the deal permanent, paying £8.1 million to secure his services. Hinteregger played 138 games for Eintracht Frankfurt and made 67 appearances for Austria, scoring four goals.

© Andrew Lord 2022