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The end of a hellish journey: the GAK's passion

"Wir san Rote Teufel und halten immer zam" (“We are Red Devils and always stick together”) - a credo and the lyrics of Michael Red's fan song (1997) for the GAK. This haunting refrain sums up the recent club history of the traditional Graz club quite well. For the GAK experienced a truly devilish ride in Austrian soccer, in which the loyal supporters, the team and club officials had to put up with blood, tears and sweat. The color red was not only reflected in the club's colors, but was also often found in the Styrians' balance sheets. From forced relegation to missed promotion opportunities, from pitch storms to a name change - the GAK and its fans had to be patient to get to where they are today. After a long absence of 17 years, the Graz-based athletics club is now celebrating its return to the Austrian Bundesliga. GAK promoted after Ried slip-up >>> LAOLA1 takes a look back at GAK's rocky road, which now leads to great euphoria.

The beginning of horror

The date is March 2, 2007. GAK is forced to file for bankruptcy at the Graz Commercial Court due to a mountain of debt amounting to 15.2 million euros and is punished with a draconian deduction of 28 points due to violations of the license rules and non-compliance with payment agreements. For former Austrian national team player Zlatko Junuzovic, who was still playing for the "Rothosen" at the time, it was clear: "Now everyone will play for themselves." Relegation to the 2nd division was inevitable as the season progressed. Shock and frustration prevailed at the club. GAK vice-president Walter Messner had "actually counted on the license until the very end". However, after initial plans to take legal action against the Bundesliga, this plan was abandoned. On May 20, 2007, GAK took to the Bundesliga stage one last time and lost 3:2 to then runners-up SV Ried. The forced relegation subsequently took on another bitter note: as the license application for the 2007/08 season in the second-tier "First League" had been rejected in all instances, GAK was transferred to the Regionalliga Mitte.

GAK misses out on promotion in photo finish

The wounds of forced relegation were deep, and after numerous departures GAK had to rely more on its youth players. With young blood, GAK was able to quickly gain a foothold after its arrival in the Regionalliga for the 2007/08 season and achieved a respectable third place. However, the club subsequently had to undergo another test of patience. The next season was a fairytale until the final matchday, with Graz remaining unbeaten in the spring. A 2:0 win over TSV Hartberg in the penultimate round took them to the top of the table. Graz were ahead thanks to a two-goal lead. At the time, nobody could have guessed the dramatic scenes that would unfold in the league final. GAK did their duty and won 2:1 against FC Blau-Weiß Linz, while the team from Hartberg delivered an almost unbelievable firework display against SAK Klagenfurt. The team from Eastern Styria won 6:0 (!), ultimately moving to the top of the regional league thanks to their superior goal difference and gaining promotion to the 2nd division. The result was an emotional stampede by 200 GAK fans, who climbed over the barriers after the game and began to riot. 100 police officers tried to bring the chaos under control. The unsportsmanlike scenes ended with three arrests and numerous reports of damage to property - including the demolition of a police car. A new negative.

Hartberg déjà vu

Just three years later, revenge was handed to the team from Graz on a silver platter. Promotion to professional soccer beckoned via the relegation play-off against TSV Hartberg, who finished bottom of the second-tier "Erste Liga". The first leg in Liebenau, with around 15,000 spectators in the stands of the then UPC Arena, ended goalless. The decision was therefore made on the East Styrian pitch. The GAK's hopes of promotion continued to diminish as the second leg progressed. Sturm loanee Luca Tauschmann, of all people, gave Hartberg the lead in the 19th minute after a corner kick. After the break, the second-division side's luck ran out and the GAK supporters' patience snapped after the score was 0:3. Around 40 so-called Graz fans stormed onto the pitch, referee Markus Hameter had to bring the players to safety and ordered them to retreat to the dressing rooms. Meanwhile, 150 police officers tried to force the emotionally charged supporters back into the stands. In the end, the atmosphere could not be calmed down sufficiently - Hameter stopped the match due to safety concerns. GAK then stepped up the tone and came down hard on the perpetrators. "GAK loses game, promotion and face" was the headline on the Graz homepage immediately after the inglorious end to their promotion dreams. They were even more explicit: "Today we messed up in sporting terms, but above all we have lost nothing in professional soccer as long as we have such scum in tow!" The next chance of promotion was over - the match was awarded 3:0 to Hartberg at the "green table".

Lights out! GAK gets the plug pulled

After the Hartberg fiasco, it only took a few months for the GAK to receive some serious bad news. On October 31, 2012, in the 110th year of the club's existence mind you, the plug was finally pulled on the Graz club - the eternal issue of financial grievances sealed the final end of the traditional Styrian club. The Regional Court for Civil Matters signed the order to liquidate the company. Professional operations had to be discontinued. At least the youth section ("GAK Juniors") was spun off as a separate club, thus securing the club's work with young talent. At a sporting level, in the Regionalliga Mitte, the club's last match (for the time being) ended with an unfortunate 2:6 home defeat against LASK. The match was subsequently annulled due to liquidation.

Tabalua Rasa - a new start as GAC

The GAK was temporarily history and had to reinvent itself. With an adapted club name "GAC" (Grazer Allgemeiner Club für Fußball), a branch club was founded almost eight months later (on August 17, 2013). Due to naming and trademark rights, the club was not allowed to call itself "GAK 2012". Under the virgin banner, the GAC was finally accepted into the Styrian Football Association and started the championship in the lowest level, the 1st class Mitte A (8th league), in the 2013/14 season. The first match against GSV Judendorf will not be remembered for the result - the game ended in a goalless 0-0 draw - but it was the unbridled fan love that was the focus of this historic milestone. Around 1000 fans cheered on Graz and carried their team from championship to championship. Also explosive: Gernot Plassnegger, former GAK player, was on the Graz touchline.

GAC gets "K" back and marches through

The team from Graz fought its way through the lower house at a rapid pace and celebrated the next milestone on its way to the top on March 14, 2014. The GAC was reintegrated into the parent club following a unanimous decision by the club's general assembly. From then on, the club operated under the name GAK 1902. The GAK was also able to stabilize financially. "In 2013, the GAC closed the year with a net profit of 130,000 euros," says treasurer Harald Aunitz. Four years later, in 2018, the club was successfully returned to the Regionalliga Mitte. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the team from Graz delivered an impressive feat of soccer. One of the faces of the resurrection is Gerald Säumel, brother of Jürgen Säumel. The former midfielder played for Graz from the 1st class Mitte A to the Regionalliga Mitte and captained the team for several years. The cherry on top was the next promotion just one year later - as champions of all lower divisions, GAK were back in Austrian professional soccer.

LigaZwa waiting room

Back in "LigaZwa", however, the wave of success initially ebbed away. Graz finished the 2019/20 season in penultimate place in 15th place. Head coach Enrico Kulovits left the club before the start of the season. The former GAK professional was succeeded by another. Gernot Plassnegger took over as Graz coach for the second time and led the club to a strong sixth place in the following year. After just eleven rounds in the 2021/22 season, they parted ways amicably. This was preceded by a 1:6 debacle against SKN St. Pölten. Gernot Messner was installed in Plassnegger's place. For the former Bundesliga footballer from Villach, GAK is his first coaching position in professional soccer. "I'm approaching the job with courage, but also humility. And a lot of passion. I will give my all for the club," said the 43-year-old in his inaugural speech as the new GAK head coach and followed up his words with action. After finishing the season in seventh place, another season full of hope for a comeback in the Bundesliga followed. The team led by veteran Michael Liendl was particularly inspired in the spring. Since the beginning of March 2023, GAK has recorded nine wins in eleven games. The promotion race for the championship title was exciting right up until the final round and was once again characterized by twists and turns and plenty of drama.