This article deals with the Austrian men's football championship in the 1986/87 season. For the Austrian women's football championship in the 1986/87 season see Austrian Football Women's Championship 1986/87 .
The Austrian Football Championship 1986/87 was organized by the Austrian Football Association . The first-class 1st division and the second-class 2nd division were merged this season through a playoff mode. The regional league east (Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland) and west (Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg) as well as the regional leagues of Carinthia, Upper Austria and Styria acted as the third performance level .
The championship in the 1st and 2nd division was initially held in autumn with 12 teams each in a single round, so that each team initially completed 22 games. This was followed by the division into the master playoff (1st to 8th of the 1st division), middle playoff (9th to 12th of the 1st division and 1st to 4th of the 2nd division) and relegation playoff (5th to 12th division) . to 12th of the 2nd division) for the spring championship. This meant that in the master playoff champions and European Cup starting places were determined, in the middle playoff promotions and relegations between 1st and 2nd division and in the relegation playoff the relegated to the regional and national leagues. In the championship and relegation playoffs, games, goals and points were taken into the spring, the teams in the middle playoff naturally did not take any points and goals.
General
Rapid was able to become Austrian football champions for the 28th time this season and qualify as Austrian champions for the European Cup of National Champions in 1987/88 , where the Hütteldorfer reached the second round. Cup finalist, the newly founded Swarovski Tirol, was allowed to take part in the 1987/88 European Cup Winners' Cup, where the team was eliminated in the first round. Austria, Admira / Wacker and VOEST Linz represented Austrian football in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup , but all three teams also failed in Round 1.
In the middle playoff, however, the decision about promotion and relegation was made: VfB Mödling was able to play in the 1st division, while SC Eisenstadt was relegated to the 2nd division. In the relegation playoff, SpG SW Bregenz-Dornbirn 1913, Union Vöcklamarkt and SV Sankt Veit an der Glan decided to relegate to the Regionalliga West and the Upper Austrian and Carinthian regional leagues. The VSE Sankt Pölten from the Regionalliga Ost and the USV Salzburg from the Regionalliga West rose directly into the 2nd division. The Kapfenberger SV as the third climber was determined in the middle group, a relegation tournament of the regional champions of Carinthia, Upper Austria and Styria.
useful information
The Austrian championship in 1987 was only decided in the last minutes of the final round. After 35 rounds, Austria was one point ahead of Rapid, after 55 minutes of play it was between Rapid Sport Club 0: 1 and Sturm Austria 1: 2. After a penalty, Peter Hrstic equalized for the Hütteldorfer, six minutes later Reinhard Kienast gave the green-whites the lead. In addition, a short time later Teskeredzic scored the equalizer for Sturm. Rapid was champion, equal on points like Vienna Austria, who complained immensely about the referee's performance. Nevertheless, a violet made headlines: Toni Polster was Europe's top scorer with 39 goals and was honored with the Golden Shoe for this achievement . The newly founded FC Swarovski Tirol, who took over the license from FC Wacker Innsbruck, was third in the championship in its debut season. The club was also able to cause a stir with the commitment of Ernst Happel , who replaced coach Felix Latzke after the end of the season .
