Johannes Handl – Veilchen until 2028

Johannes Handl extends his contract, which originally runs until summer 2026, by a further two years ahead of schedule. The centre-back has played for Austria Wien since 2019, made his way to the professional squad via the Young Violets and has played a total of 131 competitive matches in a violet shirt to date.

"I'm delighted and consider it a great honour to have extended my contract with Austria on a long-term basis. It's not a matter of course, especially when you're coming back from injury, and I'd like to thank them for their trust in me. My full focus is now on the last games of the year and I can hardly wait to get back on the pitch with the team and play in front of our fans", says Johannes Handl.

Sporting Director Manuel Ortlechner: "Johannes Handl has made great progress in the five years he's been with us. He has become a very important factor for our team, not only in terms of his athleticism but also his character. Even now in the autumn, when he unfortunately had to miss out through injury, he was always positive and there for his colleagues in the dressing room. His qualities are undisputed, which is why we are very happy to have signed a player like him to Austria for the long term."

Johannes Handl injured his knee in training in July through no fault of his own and has had to take a break ever since. He made his comeback in the test match against Traiskirchen last week. The centre-back will be available to coach Stephan Helm again for the end of the autumn season.