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Football Controversy: Coach Penalized for Speaking Slovenian

8/4/2025

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Summary

Story summary

In a heated moment during a football match in Austria, SAK Celovec's assistant goalkeeper coach, Janko Smrecnik, was shown a yellow card for speaking Slovenian with an Atus Ferlach player. The assistant referee insisted on German, sparking outrage from SAK's president, Marko Wieser, who defended players' language choices. SAK is now seeking to overturn the card, while the Austrian Football Association has issued an apology.

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Story summary

In a heated moment during a football match in Austria, SAK Celovec's assistant goalkeeper coach, Janko Smrecnik, was shown a yellow card for speaking Slovenian with an Atus Ferlach player. The assistant referee insisted on German, sparking outrage from SAK's president, Marko Wieser, who defended players' language choices. SAK is now seeking to overturn the card, while the Austrian Football Association has issued an apology.