Martin Hinteregger's "painful" retirement at 29 after backlash for Neo-Nazi links

Eintracht Frankfurt have admitted it was “painful” to grant Martin Hinteregger his wish to retire two weeks after his links to a far-right political figure in Austria emerged.

The defender, 29, had a year remaining on his contract with the Europa League winners but has taken the decision to step away from the game having faced a fierce backlash for organising a youth tournament, the Hinti Cup, in his hometown of Sirnitz with former business partner Heinrick Sickl.

It has since been revealed that Sickl was a member of a Neo-Nazi organisation in the 1990s and has rented property to the far-right Identitarian Movement Austria.

Once those allegations became public, Hinteregger sought to distance himself from Sickl. While he reiterated his regret around the Hinti Cup when confirming his retirement on Thursday, the centre-half claimed that he was contemplating stepping away from the professional game months ago having started the 2021/22 campaign in poor form.

"Last autumn, I’d already started to think about retiring at the end of the season. I was in a difficult period on the pitch: my performances were shaky," Hinteregger said.

"The wins didn’t feel as good anymore, and every defeat hurt twice as much. My improvement in the spring and our joint successes in the Europa League made me even more motivated to bow out with a great sporting success.

"That’s why I enjoyed the Europa League victory so much, because I already knew it would be my last big victory celebration with the fantastic fans in this city, which has become my second home.

"I will think back on my time with Eintracht with only great gratitude and joy, continue to feel closely connected to the club and their fans, and support the team as a fan on their