Following a 1-2 defeat at Blau-Weiß Linz, SK Rapid has pulled the plug. Coach Robert Klauß has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect. A successor has already been named.
The 1-2 defeat on Wednesday afternoon against Blau-Weiß Linz was the latest low point in Rapid’s downward spiral. The club management reacted the following day and pulled the plug. Coach Robert Klauß and his assistant Thomas Kraus were relieved of their duties on Thursday morning. The previous assistant coach, Stefan Kulovits, will take over on an interim basis. A permanent replacement for Klauß is to be presented in the first few weeks after the end of the season at the latest.
“Unfortunately, the development of the team and, consequently, its performances and results have been heading in a direction for several months that makes this step necessary,” said sporting director Markus Katzer, explaining the decision. “I am convinced that we have a squad that is much better than it may have appeared in recent months, and we will do everything we can to qualify for European competition again next season.”
Klauß signed for Rapid in the fall of 2023 and ended his first season on a positive note, finishing fourth and reaching the cup final. However, Rapid are currently only fifth in the championship round after five defeats in their last seven competitive games and also missed out on a place in the Conference League semi-finals after losing 4-1 on aggregate to Swedish surprise package Djurgardens IF.
Before his time in Austria, Klauß had worked as a head coach in professional football for the first time at 1. FC Nürnberg. Under his leadership, the team, which had almost been relegated in the 2020/21 season, finished eleventh in the table and eighth a year later. Shortly before the end of the season, the 40-year-old’s contract was therefore extended. However, after an unsatisfactory start to his third season, his time at FCN came to a premature end in October 2022.
Klauß, who completed his football coaching course in March 2018 as the best in his year with an average grade of 1.0, started his coaching career in the youth department of RB Leipzig.
