Kurt Jara (born 14 October 1950) is an Austrian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.

Playing career

Club career

Born in Innsbruck, Jara started his professional career with local side FC Wacker Innsbruck before moving to Spanish outfit Valencia CF in 1973. After two seasons in La Liga he joined German Bundesliga team MSV Duisburg where he spent five seasons and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1979. After another season in Germany with FC Schalke 04, he finished his career in the Swiss Super League with Grasshoppers. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became manager at Grasshopper.

International career

Jara made his debut for Austria in a July 1971 friendly match in São Paulo against Brazil and was a participant at the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. He earned 59 caps, scoring 14 goals. His last international was an April 1985 World Cup qualification match against Hungary.

Managerial career

As a manager, Jara coached in the past the Swiss clubs Grasshoppers, FC St. Gallen and FC Zürich, the Austrian team VfB Mödling, Xanthi, APOEL, FC Tirol Innsbruck, Hamburger SV and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In the season 2005–06 he was the manager of Red Bull Salzburg.

Career statistics

Honours

Player

Manager

Grasshoppers Hamburger SV