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9/4/2024

LASK changes coach - Markus Schopp takes on dual role

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LASK has parted ways with head coach Thomas Darazs. Markus Schopp will immediately take over as his successor, also assuming the role of sporting director. The 50-year-old has signed a contract with the club until the summer of 2027.

With this decision, the club is responding to recent sporting developments. In the Bundesliga, LASK suffered four consecutive defeats and has gone six competitive matches without a win. Last Sunday, they endured a 1-5 home defeat against Wolfsberger AC.

On Tuesday afternoon, Schopp will conduct his first training session at the training ground next to the Raiffeisen Arena. The Styrian will make his competitive debut after the international break on Saturday, September 14, in the away derby against FC Blau-Weiß Linz.

With Hartberg in European Competition

In December 2022, Schopp began his second tenure as head coach of TSV Hartberg, where he also held the position of sporting director. Previously, he served as head coach for FC Barnsley, three additional years at Hartberg, and the reserve team of SK Sturm Graz, where he also temporarily managed the first team. With Hartberg, he twice secured a spot in the top six and led the team into the UEFA Europa League qualifiers in the 2020/21 season. Additionally, he guided Hartberg to the national European competition playoffs on two other occasions.

As a player, Schopp made 462 professional appearances for SK Sturm, RB Salzburg, Brescia, Hamburger SV, and RB New York, including 19 matches in the UEFA Champions League. He won two Austrian Bundesliga titles and Austrian Cups. He also earned 56 caps for the Austrian national team.

Schopp brings his current assistant coach, Alexander Marchat, with him to LASK. In addition to his coaching duties, Schopp will also serve as the club’s sporting director. The previous sporting director, Radovan Vujanovic, is leaving the club at his own request. Vujanovic, a former striker, initially returned to LASK in September 2021 as sporting director and later assumed the role of CEO of sport. During his tenure, LASK qualified twice more for international competitions and finished third in the Bundesliga two seasons in a row.

LASK extends its thanks to Thomas Darazs and Radovan Vujanovic for their work and wishes them all the best for the future!

„

The developments and performances in recent weeks have led us to take this step and appoint a new coach. Thomas Darazs took over the coaching role in the spring during a challenging period and guided us to third place. For that, we owe him great thanks. We are very pleased to have secured Markus Schopp, a highly experienced coach, who has been doing outstanding work in Hartberg for many years. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Sporting Director Radovan Vujanovic for his services. He played a key role in helping us regularly secure a European competition spot in recent years.

Dr. Siegmund Gruber, CEO

„

With LASK, both in the domestic league and internationally in the Conference League, there is an exciting challenge ahead that I am really looking forward to. The goal with this team can only be to not just build on the successes of recent years, but to take further steps forward. I approach these new tasks at LASK with great motivation and at the same time, I would like to thank TSV Hartberg for the very successful time we had together and for the opportunity to develop many players as well as myself as a coach.

Markus Schopp, Head Coach and Sporting Director

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