Kärnten coach calls it quits

FC Kärnten coach Heinz Hochhauser has resigned following his side's 4-0 first-leg defeat at home to Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the UEFA Cup first round.

'Tired of football'
Hochhauser, who took over from Walter Schachner earlier this year when he left to coach FK Austria Wien, stepped down following the dramatic defeat on Thursday claiming: "I am tired of football but it has got nothing to do with the situation at Kärnten in particular."

Third casualty
With only ten rounds of the Austrian Bundesliga played, Hochhauser is the third Austrian coach to leave his post, after Thijs Libregts of Grazer AK and Ivica Osim of SK Sturm Graz both left their clubs earlier in the season.

Difficult period
The 55-year-old coach, who had previously been in charge of SV Ried and Wien in the Austrian top flight, had gone through a difficult time at Kärnten and was showing signs of disenchantment following his side's 2-2 draw against Sturm last week. "This charade is unbelievable, I don't know how much longer I can carry on like this," he said.

'An interim solution'
Kärnten have moved quickly to appoint a successor with Johannes Haubitz, the 46-year-old coach of the team's amateur side, taking charge on a short-term basis. Hochhauser's assistant, Robert Trappitsch, will retain his role. "It is an interim solution but it could easily last for the remainder of the season," said acting club president Josef Steindorfer.