Scharner's disputes with coaches at both club and international level have brought him media attention: a 2012 feature in "Österreich" described him as "still an awkward customer" (). In 2003, his refusal to come on as a substitute to play on the right of midfield led Austria Wien coach Joachim Löw to suspend him from the team. After Scharner announced his retirement from international football in 2006, citing the ÖFB's lack of professionalism, national coach Josef Hickersberger said that as long as he was in charge, Scharner would not play for Austria again. He made a comeback under Dietmar Constantini, but criticised the retention of Constantini as coach after failure to qualify for Euro 2012, proposing himself as a better alternative. His final breach with the national team came in August 2012, when the ÖFB banned him permanently for leaving the team hotel after unsuccessfully demanding a guaranteed key role throughout the World Cup qualifiers and publicly criticising coach Marcel Koller.