Team Austria announces roster for 2018 IFAF European Championships

| 2018 IFAF European Championships | 07/28/2018

Team Austria enters the 2018 IFAF European Championships in Vantaa, Finland as slight favorites to win their first ever international title.

The Austrians came oh so close four years ago at home in Vienna, Austria in front of 27,000 hometown fans. Austria lost a heartbreaker in the gold medal final to Team Germany in double overtime, 30-27.

This year’s squad is led by Swarco Raiders head coach Shuan Fatah who is fresh off winning his third Austrian championship in four years.

In addition to winning the  silver medal in 2014, Austria has captured two bronze medals in the European Championships. In 2010 in Germany, Austria defeated Sweden 30-0 to capture third place and in back in 1995 the Austrians blanked the Ukraine 18-0 in the bronze medal game.

Coach Fatah brings a 45 man roster to Finland with 16 players from his own team, the Swarco Raiders. The Dacia Vienna Vikings, who finished second in the Austrian Football League after losing a thriller to Swarco, 51-48, have nine players on the team as do the Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants. The Danube Dragons are represented by seven players while the SonicWall Modling Rangers have two and the Salzburg Bulls one. Germany’s Marburg Mercenaries have contributed one player, quarterback Alexander Thury.

The Austrians are playing in a group which also contains Denmark and Sweden. The other group consists of France, Finland and Great Britain.

Austria opens the tournament on Sunday, July 29 when they take on Team Denmark. Then on August 2, the Austrians will face Team Sweden. The medal round games and game for fifth place take place on Saturday, August 4.

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