Image: GEPA pictures/ Johannes Friedl (GEPA pictures)
His previous agreement as Managing Director Sport would have run until the summer of 2024, and a new coaching contract was only considered a formal act.
Barisic took over the coaching post on October 16 after parting with Ferdinand Feldhofer. After a short phase in a double function, ex-professional Markuskatzer took over the agenda of the sports director at the turn of the year. Since mid-December, club icon Steffen Hofmann has acted as general manager.
Since Barisic’s return to the coaching bench, Rapid have won five, drawn one and lost one in seven competitive games. The Hütteldorfer started the spring as fourth in the table. “I really enjoy the coaching job at my club and it also makes me proud to do it,” emphasized Barisic. “I’m excited about the tasks ahead and I’m optimistic that we’ll make the countless Rapid fans happy in the coming months and years.”
“It’s good that the ink is dry”
Because there is “great trust” between the responsible persons within the club, there was “no time pressure” for the formal details of his new contract, said Barisic. In a Rapid broadcast, neo-president Alexander Wrabetz recalled that his team had already made a clear declaration before the general meeting and election in November that they were planning to have Barisic as head coach in the long term. “It is therefore only logical that we have now fixed a contract that will initially run until the end of the 2024/25 season.”
Wrabetz said he was convinced that he had found the “ideal solution” for Rapid. “It’s good that the ink is dry on the document,” added the former ORF general director before the guest appearance at Sturm in the Sky interview. “My goal was for all contracts to be signed and sealed by this day.” Katzener’s will run for three years for the time being, Hofmann is secured as a connecting element in the club in the long term anyway.
“Born to coach”
The managing director of SK Rapid has been on friendly terms with Barisic for a long time. “I’ve known Zoki Barisic for almost 17 years and know from personal experience that he was born to be a coach,” said Hofmann. “Since he started working on the field again in October last year, he seems to be getting younger by the day and I’m also sure that with his expertise and great social skills he will form our team back into the unit that is necessary is to play football successfully.”
Hofmann also thanked the former Vienna sports director, Katzener, for handling the talks and signing the new contract. “The subject of Zoki Barisic’s coaching contract was probably much bigger in the media than it was for us internally,” saidkatzer. “It was clear to everyone involved that we wanted to go into the green and white future together, so I’m of course happy that we’ve now formally clarified all the details and signed the contract.”
Source: Nachrichten
