Austria coach to quit at year-end

Published: 07 Sep 2011 - 14:00:48

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Austria coach Dietmar Constantini will not get a new deal when his current one expires at the end of the year after failing to qualify for Euro 2012, the national football federation OeFB said Wednesday.

"I thank Didi Constantini for all his work," OeFB head Leo Windtner was quoted by the daily Kronen Zeitung as saying on its website.

"There is no spat between the OeFB and Constantini, but there was no majority support on the board for extending his contract."

On Tuesday Austria, co-hosts of Euro 2008, drew 0-0 with Turkey, dashing the Alpine country's hopes to qualify for Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland with only eight points from eight games in Group A.

In 23 games under Constantini, the side has won just seven and lost 13. In the last 10 it won only once. He will remain in charge for the remaining Euro 2012 qualifiers next month against Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

"I am not that disappointed," Constantini said. "The successes just didn't happen. The OeFB's decision is therefore the right one."

He added that he hoped that under his successor, who has yet to be chosen, Austria would be able to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"The team has potential," Kronen Zeitung quoted him as saying.