Football: Onyisiwo resigns from ÖFB

He added: This step is not easy for me. I was happy with every nomination and enjoyed playing in the national team. There are sporting and private reasons for my resignation, which I have discussed with the team president in recent weeks. He has made the decision to focus fully on his club Mainz and his family. The Vienna team has been under contract with Mainz since January 2016 and has a contract there until June 30, 2026.

Onisio made his debut for his country on 17 November 2015 in the European Championship test against Switzerland. The striker played 24 international matches, scoring his only goal in the Nations League against Romania (2:3). The 31-year-old last made his ÖFB appearance on September 12 this year in a 3-1 away win over Sweden. Onyisiwo missed the last European Championship qualifier double in October against Belgium (2:3) and in Azerbaijan (1:0) due to quadriceps problems.

However, most of the time, the former Mattersburg footballer had to content himself with a substitute role in the national team. This was also the case at the 2021 European Championship, where he played just six minutes. With his resignation, Onyisiwo seized the opportunity to participate in the tournament next summer in his new homeland, Germany.

Schotel thinks this is a “disgrace.”

Team president Ralf Rangnick commented on the resignation: “Karim told me some time ago that he was thinking about ending his career in the national team. I had open and honest communication with him at all times. “I would like to thank him very much for that and for his commitment to our team.” Sports director Peter Schöttl said: “It is a shame that he will not play for Austria in the future. Karim has been an important part of our national team for eight years. He deserves thanks and appreciation for this.”

The staffing level at ÖFB-Sturm is not the highest. Marko Arnautovic and Michael Gregoric were often first choice under Rangnick, but they have both been injured recently, as has been the case with Onisio. English legionnaire Sasa Kalajdzic is still on his way back to his best after tearing his second cruciate ligament last year. Recently, Rangnick also had debutant Manpreet Sarkaria from Sturm Graz and Freiburg striker Junior Adamu in the squad. The German will announce his squad for the final international matches of the year in Estonia (November 16) and in Vienna against Germany (November 21) on Monday evening (6pm, live on ORF Sport+).