DÖW Report on right-wing extremism in Austria with relation to sports

The report was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ) and written by the DÖW. It not only addressed the FPÖ's links to the far-right scene, but also focused on the relationship between far-right players in martial arts and football. In this context, we are pleased to see that the findings of fairplay prevention were also incorporated into the DÖW report. It is evident that sport is becoming increasingly important for right-wing extremist actors, as it is also used for community activities and martial arts in particular are seen as a “cult of defensiveness” (DÖW 2025: 86) and a “duty for every nationalist” (DÖW 2025: 73). The networking of right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi subcultures takes place not only at concerts and demonstrations, but also at martial arts events in Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Football hooligans are also known for their Europe-wide networking in right-wing extremist milieus and relevant Viennese fan groups in particular maintain particularly good contacts with like-minded people in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. In Austria, the Noricum sports community in particular operates at the interface between hooliganism (mainly from the far-right fan milieu of Rapid Vienna and Austria Vienna) and rocker gang crime (see DÖW: 111). Furthermore, parts of the Identitarian movement are also active in martial arts and organize martial arts events themselves.

The entire report can be downloaded here.