A former professional football player from Austria, who played for several top-tier clubs, was twice Austrian champion and was once called up to the national team during his prime, has been charged with serious commercial fraud and embezzlement. The spokesperson for the Vienna Regional Court, Christoph Zonsics-Kral, confirmed this on Friday. The indictment is already final. The 33-year-old former footballer is expected to stand trial in January.
The man has been in pretrial detention in Vienna since September 18, after being arrested in Germany and extradited. The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of a series of criminal offenses, totaling a damage amount of over 240,000 euros. He allegedly committed these acts in Vienna, other locations across Austria, and in Germany, primarily in 2023. The presumption of innocence applies to the former player.
Previous Criminal Record
The footballer had ended his active career at a lower-division club the previous year. He already has a relevant criminal record—he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for fraud by the Regional Court of Korneuburg, a verdict that was upheld in appeal. After his first court hearing, the 33-year-old went into hiding and did not comply with the imposed conditions. The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office eventually issued an arrest warrant, and the man was arrested in Germany in late July 2024 and handed over to the Austrian justice system.
Fraud and Embezzlement Activities
The former footballer is accused of deceiving individuals, some of whom he knew from his career as a professional athlete, by offering lucrative cryptocurrency investments. He also misled them into believing that he could procure or sell expensive watches for a profit—one victim handed him a Rolex worth 43,000 euros, while another gave him two watches of the same brand worth a total of 34,000 euros. A watch worth 14,000 euros is said to have been embezzled by the 33-year-old.
The ex-footballer also allegedly borrowed money for the supposed purchase of luxury watches but failed to repay the loans. Instead, he is said to have used various excuses to delay payment. One charge involves a kitchen appliance, for which the former footballer reportedly took several thousand euros without delivering the item.
