Until Hitler ruined everything, Vienna in the 1930s was a vibrant and intellectual place, producing such minds as Sigmund Freud and Arthur Schnitzler and with Viennese intellectuals holding discussions and debates in the cities many coffee houses on various topics of interest to the bourgeoisie and literati whilst stroking their chins and listening to piano concertos. They also held football in high esteem, unsurprising since Austria was one of the world’s major football superpowers of the day. This culturally-rich city was, and still is, the home of FK Austria Vienna. Often shortened to Austria in German-speaking countries, FK Austria Vienna is one of only two clubs that have never been relegated from the Austrian top flight. The 1930s was one of the most successful eras for Die Vielchen (The Violets), as they were successful in winning the Mitropa Cup twice (1933 and 1936).

 

The star of the side was, undoubtedly, Matthais Sindelar, the greatest Austrian footballer of all time and one of the greatest footballers ever. Captain of the Austrian Wunderteam at the 1934 World Cup, Sindelar is renowned as one of the finest pre-war footballers, famous for his exceptional dribbling ability, passing, creativity and supernatural talent. He joined the club in 1924, at a time when they were called Vienna Amateur SV, and helped them win 5 Austrian cups, a league title and the two aforementioned Mitropa Cups. It has been noted that many Viennese attended Austria Viennas games not just to watch Sindelar play, but to watch him play football the way it should be played. Unfortunately, all this came crashing down in 1938 when Austria was annexed into the German Third Reich. The new National Socialist government immediately deconstructed Austria’s national league and expelled all of the clubs that had, or were suspected of having, Jewish connections, seizing their grounds and ostracizing their officials. FK Austria Vienna was one such club.

 

The club were labelled with the derogatory title of Judenklub and were forced to change their name to the Germanised SC Ostmark. They were made to evict all their Jewish players and officials, and placed into the Gauliga Ostmark where they experienced little success. As for Sindelar, who was Catholic, he remained in his beloved Austria and was requested time and time again by Nazi sports officials to play for Germany. Sindelar refused each time, blaming old age or injury as his excuse. The truth is, even in his 30’s, Sindelar was fit and talented enough to move anywhere in Europe and continue playing for any number of clubs, but his heart and soul was in Austria, and he refused to leave. Instead, he bought a small, run-down cafe and turned his back on football entirely after the cafes previous owner, a Jew, had been turfed out by the Nazis. Sindelar began quietly serving beer and coffee to the cafe’s clientele as the German secret police, the Gestapo, kept the cafe under surveillance.

 

A year later, on January 23, 1939, Sindelar and his girlfriend were found dead in his Vienna apartment. The official police version lists the cause of death as “carbon monoxide poisoning”. Rumor and mystery surround his death. The Nazis told the local police to cease their investigations, and the official report was “lost during the war”. Was his death a suicide from Sindelar being unable to cope with the invasion of his beloved nation? Was he murdered by the Gestapo to stop him from fleeing Austria and embarrassing the regime abroad? Was it a gangland hit in response to his supposed gambling debts? Did his girlfriend murder him before killing herself? Or was it simply an accident due to poor maintenance of the apartments chimney? Sadly, we will probably never know. Today, all that remains of Sindelars legacy is a few seconds of grainy newsreel footage showing the man in action, some photographs showing a delicate player with a kind face, hence his nickname “The Paperman”, a few fragile newspaper clippings, a street named in his honor and a grave stone.

Achievements: Austrian Cup – Winners x 3
                        Mitropa Cup – Winners x2

Star player: Mattheus Sindelar DOB 10 Feburary 1903, Kozlov, Austria-Hungary, nickname: Der Papierene

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 Sindelar played centre-forward and was the captain of this celebrated Austrian Wunderteam and Austria Vienna side of the 1930’s. He had two nicknames; The Mozart of Football and ‘Der Papierene’ (The Paperman) due to his slight build. He was one of the finest pre-war footballers in the world, known for his incredible dribbling ability and creativity. It’s been said that Viennese fans went to his games not just to watch him, but to gain a better understanding of how football should be played. In 1998, he was voted Austrias Sportsman of the Century. His club was Austria Vienna, with whom he won 5 Austrian Cups, a league title and 2 Mitropa Cups. He played 43 times for the Wunderteam, scoring 27 goals. Sindelar was Jewish, and as such he hated the Nazis. In Austrias final match as an independent nation against Germany, he ordered his team to wear red and white kits, the colors of Austrias flag, instead of their traditional black and white. He scored in the final minutes and celebrated extravagantly right in front of senior Nazi officials. His story ends in tragedy, as he and his girlfriend were found dead in his home in 1939 under suspicious circumstances after he refused to play for Germany. Many myths and legends surround his death.