“Sturm Graz Celebrates Cup Victory with Thousands of Fans in Downtown Graz”

The players and coaches of Sturm Graz triumphantly celebrated their soccer cup victory with their fans in downtown Graz on Monday. Thousands of people streamed into the center of the Styrian capital in the afternoon. Coach Christian Ilzer’s team, which won the ÖFB Cup for the sixth time by beating Rapid 2-0 in the final in Klagenfurt on Sunday evening, presented the trophy on a stage on the packed main square.

Shortly before 5 p.m., the newly crowned cup winner arrived in a convertible bus. In the town hall, the kickers and club representatives first signed the city’s golden book before they celebrated with around 20,000 fans – visibly marked by the hardships of the night. Experienced Jakob Jantscher presented himself as the heater and sang with the audience. Before that, the band Alle Hoffnung had provided musical support.

“We worked three years for such moments that we celebrate the title here with you,” explained Ilzer, who has been at the helm of Sturm since 2020. He said of his team, with a view to the championship and second place in the table, three points behind champions Salzburg: “It’s only just beginning now. We can celebrate, but we’ll be training again on Wednesday. Gemma!”

Sturm captain Stefan Hierländer, who has won the cup twice with Salzburg and Sturm, spoke of his best cup title. “This one is the most emotional because of the difficult road to the final and the atmosphere in the stadium yesterday.”

After the victory in Klagenfurt, Sturm turned night into day and arrived in Graz around 2.30 in the morning. Sports director Andreas Schicker appeared to be in good shape to celebrate: “I have strength when it comes to things like that. I’m an Upper Styrian and don’t need that much sleep. We have a lot of energy and we have to celebrate the title like never before,” explained the 36-year-old, for whom it was the first title with Sturm as sporting director together with Ilzer.

Sturm President Christian Jauk spoke of a nice reception in the town hall by Mayor Elke Kahr (KPÖ). “It was very cordial. Then the team started shouting at the mayor’s speech: ‘A new stadium!’” Jauk said and demanded: “As the top club in this country, we have the right to have our own home in this city.”

Ex-Sturm goalgetter Mario Haas also made an appointment. The 48-year-old has been able to take part in a number of such celebrations over the course of his career, so he spoke from experience: “The boys must have really enjoyed coming here.” The Grazer Sturm family also celebrated their 114th club birthday on Labor Day . They also commemorated their coach of the century Ivica Osim, who died exactly one year ago. Ilzer spoke of a “touching moment”.

The police were on duty with an increased number of emergency services, but everything remained peaceful and cheerful until the early evening. In the city center there were numerous traffic obstructions, a rail replacement service had been set up.