The president of Altach goes in March

The Bundesliga club, SCR Altach, is expected to seek a new president as Karlheinz Kopf resigns in March. A related report from the "Vorarlberger Nachrichten" was confirmed on Tuesday.

According to Altach CEO, Christoph Längle, Kopf will retire from the operational business on March 22, 2019 at an extraordinary annual general meeting. The decision of the former president of the ÖVP club and second president of the National Council has been in place for some time.

Längle: "What was happening in a small circle was known"

"The thing was known in the club, in a very small circle," said Längle. Originally, Kopf would have wanted to announce his decision at a general meeting on Dec. 9, but protests from the Altacher fan scene last weekend brought him to prefer this ad.

APA / SARAH KVECH

Since 2009, Kopf has been in his second term as President of Altach.

According to Längle, Kopf informed both committees at a meeting of the board of directors and the supervisory board on Monday morning. After that, the 61-year-old decided to give the audience an interview in a newspaper. Kopf's retirement has nothing to do with the boycott of Sunday's fans, Längle said. "He just persuaded him not to wait until December 9," said Altach's business manager. "The decision was already there."

Fan demonstration during home defeat against the storm

Altacher's supporters had Sunday in the home match against Sturm Graz (0-2), including with a banner ("headless into the future") called for the replacement of the actor for his second term since 2009 and their call for changes with a repressed mood boycott, "With a banner in the stadium that has absolutely nothing to do," said Kopf in the "Vorarlberger Nachrichten" about his departure . The presidium and council met early Monday to approve new statutes. "It was expected a long time ago."

According to Langle, there was originally a "club development process" started at the beginning of the year, during which the club structures – in the Bundesliga currently at the penultimate place of table – have become professional again and the statutes should be revised. He was matured at the head of the decision to withdraw. "He co-initiated and led the process," Längle said. The new statutes will now be approved by the members at the General Assembly.

Conversations with potential candidates

The election of a new president will be followed by an election committee, according to the director general. The committee will be composed of the chairman of the supervisory board, Peter Pfanner, the vice-chairman, Harald Oberdorfer, and two other members. "They will talk to potential candidates and explore this topic." The talks will take place "certainly also on the basis". "On March 22, the new committees will be appointed," Längle said.