Matthias Sindelar - The footballer who defied Nazi Germany

Matthias Sindelar - Mozart of Football: the Austrian killed for refusing to represent the Nazi German Football Team

Rarely can one man have such an impact on football through ability and morality than is the case of the amazing Austrian, Matthias Sindelar.

The man is deemed one of, if not the, greatest Austrian footballers in history, so much so he was coined the Mozart of Football. This was alongside his other nickname of Der Papierene (“The Paper Man”) due to his slight build and majestic weaving runs.

Not only was he a great footballer, but he knew when to stand up for what he believed in. The true reasoning behind his untimely death is unknown and will be discussed further. However, the fact that they come so soon after his refusal to represent a German National Team make it pretty clear why many have put two and two together.

Sindelar was a fantastic player and man and is someone who deserves to be remembered for his life and impact.

Sindelar’s Early Days in Czechoslovakia and Austria

The geography for Eastern Europe, and indeed most of Europe, has changed a lot through the years and particularly during the lifetime of Sindelar and up to today. Nevertheless, he was born in what is now the Czech Republic but was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire into a catholic family in 1903.

At just two-years-old, he made the move to the capital of Austria. Despite his small build, his ability on the ball was honed playing on the streets of Vienna when he played with a ball made of rags and gained the attention of local amateur side ASV Hertha Wien in 1918.

In the youth set up at Hertha, he had to cope with several knee injuries during his passage to the first team which didn’t come until the age of 19. Driven by the death of his father in World War One, he displayed enough within two seasons to show that he was ready to make the step up to a professional level.

FK Austria Wien acquired the services of Sindelar in 1924, two years before the club became professional and Sindelar was a huge part of one of the most successful periods in the club’s history. Sindelar was to spend his entire club career with Austria Wien.

Career with FK Austria Wien / Austria Vienna – 1924-1939

Sindelar won eight trophies in fifteen years with Austria Wien and was a key cog in their silverware clinching machine. Being the pride of Austrian Vienna and the pride of the national team, Sindelar was the man they all looked to for inspiration. 

He helped guide the side to the Austrian league title in his first full season with the club, but Austria Vienna were the cup kings during his time there. They won the trophy on five separate occasions during Sindelar’s career and within eleven seasons.

Austria Vienna were deemed the most sophisticated of the teams in Vienna. Supporters would discuss Sindelar’s style of play, cleverness, and goal-scoring prowess. The intelligentsia of Vienna drooled over the ability of Sindelar and he loved the adoration of his supporters.

He was also part of the team that won silverware on the European stage.

The Mitropa Cup ran from 1927 to 1992 and was one of the first European trophies, that was created to pit the best of the clubs within the Austro-Hungarian empire. Qualification for the tournament would see each nation send their league and cup winners, or league winners and runners-up. It was initially competed between teams from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Austria. Italian teams later replaced the Yugoslavian ones in the line-up. 

Sindelar’s Austria Vienna first clinched the trophy in 1933 following victory over Inter Milan (known as Ambrosiana-Inter at the time). Sindelar scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the final to clinch a 4-3 victory on aggregate in front of nearly 60,000 supporters in Austria. In all Sindelar scored 5 goals in the tournament and clinched the golden boot. 

Their next continental success came in 1936 when Austria Vienna toppled Grasshopper Club Zürich, Bologna, Slavia Prague and Újpest en route to the final. This time it was a much closer affair where a solitary Camillo Jerusalem goal in the second leg secured the Mitropa Cup for a second time. The victory against Sparta Prague was completed in Prague and helped assure Sinderlar’s legacy.

It is important to note that this was the highest domestic competition that Austria Vienna could compete in and Sindelar was part of one of the most successful periods of their history. As with most players of the time, his career was stunted by the two World Wars.

Nevertheless, his legacy is perhaps best entwined with the great Austrian side of the period, so good they were known as the Wunderteam.

Wunderteam - Matthias Sindelar and the Austrian National Team – 1926-1937

The success of the 1930s Austrian side is largely afforded to the stewardship of manager Hugo Meisl. This was partnered with a great squad of players, including record goalscorer Josef ‘Pepi’ Bican, the quick and skilful winger Anton Schall, versatile Josef Smistik, captain Walter Nausch and of course the Mozart of Football, Matthias Sindelar who was the focal point of Meisl’s team.

The Austrian’s rose to prominence in the 1930s and they had proven to be a fierce international opponent. Big victories over Germany, Switzerland and Hungary preceded possibly the greatest day of the Wunderteam. 

The Central European International Cup preceded the UEFA European Championship and pitted some of the best European teams against each other. It contained eight national sides and they faced each other home and away in a league format. It was held five times and took several months to be completed. On this occasion, it lasted nine months and spanned from 1931-1932.

The competing sides were Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy, and Austria. The Austrian’s only lost one of their eight games which included eleven goals past Switzerland across two legs. Their second victory over Switzerland secured the trophy for the Wunderteam in a real show of dominance across two seasons of international fixtures.

Austria’s European success, enigmatic manager, terrific players, and beautiful style of play made them hot contenders for the 1934 World Cup in Italy. They dispatched of France in the First Round, thanks to Sindelar opening the scoring. Next came the tough prospect of Hungary, they too were in possession of one of their greatest sides who played great football, but Austria came out on top.

They then faced hosts Italy in the semi-final and fell afoul of some questionable refereeing decisions. Inside 20 minutes, Austrian ‘keeper Rudolf Hiden was pushed into the net and the Italians were given the goal. A lot of speculation surrounded the standard of refereeing which was deemed overly favourable to the host nation. Italy went on to win the game 1-0 and win the trophy.

Their next tournament was the 1936 Summer Olympics, coined by many as the Hitler Olympics due to it being hosted in Germany and the political context of the time.

Their qualification for the Olympics was tumultuous and following defeat to Peru, Austria appealed the result as Peru’s winning goals were scored after a fan had assaulted an Austrian player on the pitch. The Olympic Committee decided to have the game replayed behind closed doors, Peru refused to participate, and so Austria were allowed entry to the tournament.

It is important to note that the Olympics were a much larger footballing event during this time and Austria were keen to transfer their European dominance to the world stage. However, they were ultimately pitted against a formidable Italian side in the final. Once again, Italy continued their era of dominance and won the game 2-1.

Anschluss, Annexation of Austria, and the Wunderteam Wrap-Up

European success and decent showing at the World Cup and Olympics were to be the peak of this team of talented players and their creative manager. Meisl had created an attractive style of play for his squad and they acquired many admirers for the passing and attacking style of play, in which their superstar Sindelar thrived.

The sad end to their team began in tragic circumstances, Meisl suffered a heart attack aged 55 in 1937 during the build-up to the 1938 World Cup. The Austria squad has shown no signs of slowing down in the lead up to the event and had qualified for the tournament in which they hoped they could get the better of Italy for the first time since the Central European International Cup.

However, the political climate and Meisl’s untimely death put a stop to this plan. In March 1938 Austria was annexed to Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, known as Anschluss. The Austrian born leader of the Nazi Party wanted to ‘reclaim’ Austria to make a greater German nation. The intricacies of this period of history are far too broad to be summarized so shortly here. One thing that was clear was the impact this had on Austria as a nation and as a national football team.

The 1938 World Cup began four months after the annexation of Austria to Germany. The German football selectors were keen to poach some of the greatest members of this Austrian Wunderteam for their faltering German national side. Austria was removed from the list of teams to compete in the World Cup and so the Austrian players had a choice to make, represent a German side or miss out on the World Cup and any future international tournaments.

Defying the Nazis and Sindelar’s Suspicious Death

Matthias Sindelar was not just an Austrian footballer of the time; he was the Austrian footballer. The national sweetheart was instrumental on the pitch but remained humble and loyal despite his fame. He was a celebrity appearing in advertising campaigns and he rebuked several attempts from other European clubs out of loyalty to Austria Vienna and his home country.

Not only did the Nazi regime challenge his profession, it challenged his way of life and political beliefs. Being a proud socialist, he did not agree with Hitler and the Nazi Party. As well as this, although not being Jewish himself, lots of his friends and teammates were Jews and he did not enjoy seeing their lives being negatively affected by the Germans.

The annexation of Austria brought with it the banning of all Jews from playing football, this wiped out the majority of the Austria Vienna squad. Again, the impact on Sindelar’s personal and professional life was massive. Despite the sanctions against it, he remained in contact with the Jewish members of the club so he could help them as much as possible during the annexation. 

As part of the poaching of Austrian players and a show of solidarity between the nations, Germany hosted an exhibition match between the two countries in April 1938. The plan was for the game to end in a draw and the Austrian players were warned not to score against the Germans.

This was all going to plan, and the dominant Austrian side missed several easy chances. However, Sindelar knew this was an opportunity to represent his Jewish friends and his socialist beliefs, in front of the Nazi representatives at the ground. He did not miss his chance and scored in the game that Austria went on to win. Following his goal, he celebrated which further mocked the Nazis in attendance and illustrated his love for Austria.

Despite the anger and embarrassment, such was Sindelar’s talents, the German selectors wanted him to play for Germany in the build-up to and in the 1938 World Cup. Every time, he refused. Being 35 years old, he was of the age to retire but his ability was still abundantly clear but Sindelar did not want to play.

This fateful goal and repeated rejections made him a famous Nazi adversary and certainly belittled the power of Hitler and his party. So, in January 1939, nine months after his goal against Germany and seven months after Germany were eliminated in the First Round of the 1938 World Cup, Sindelar was found dead.

He and his girlfriend were discovered in their bedroom, the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. However, many people did not believe this to be the real reason they died, and an investigation was opened. This was quickly shut down by the Nazis and suspicion has surrounded the end of his life ever since.

Whether it was a tragic accident, suicide to ensure that he would not be imprisoned and punished for his beliefs or whether the Nazis had to ensure that he could not embarrass them again, this death was a sorry way for the great man to go.

Remembering Matthias Sindelar 1903 -1939

Sindelar was a monumental figure in Austrian football and is often afforded the title of the best his country has ever produced. Rarely can a man have equal levels of talent, loyalty, and morality, and have them all in such large amounts.

He was fiercely loyal to his club, his country, and his friends but he was also the greatest player his nation had ever seen. His domestic and international successes display this best and he will forever be remembered for his footballing ability.

The fact his life ended in such sad circumstances is tragic yet makes him an even greater man and a bigger influence on football as a whole.

Football is not fighting in the trenches or leading a government, but it provides normal people with an opportunity to express their emotions and beliefs in front of thousands of people.

Sindelar realised this and was aware of the potential consequences of his actions, but he used his fame and ability to stand up for what was right and what he believed in and because of this, he should always be remembered and respected, the world over.