From Novi Sad to Simmering

Foreign players in Austrian football Part 4

More than 300 footballers from (former) Yugoslavia have played in Austria's top league in the past 50 years.

Yugoslavia used to be the main country of origin of foreign players in Austria since the 1960s. Around one third of foreign players in the country's top division, the so-called Bundesliga, have come from Yugoslavia and its successor states. Among them are many players from today's Serbia. Some came only for half a year, while others stayed forever. Four players talk about their experiences in Austria on and off the pitch.

The 1960s: the "guest workers" are coming

Yugoslavian football saw its first boom in Austria in the 1960s. The Yugoslavian FA allowed older players to play abroad, and so many footballers found their way to clubs in the northern neighbour state. One of them was Aleksandar Ivoš, a national player at the time, who signed for Simmering, a top-division club from the 11th district of Vienna, in the 1963-64 season. Today he is retired and lives in Novi Sad. "I had wanted to go to Italy. I played a test match in Genoa but the club already had three foreign players. Rapid Vienna also wanted me and so I went to Vienna with my manager. After a couple of days he told me that Simmering were also interested in me. They made me a very good offer, and I accepted it." Ivoš, who had learned German in school, recalls a warm reception at the small club from the periphery of Vienna - even though he earned "probably as much as all the other players taken together." The playmaker only stayed in Vienna for one season, and Simmering were relegated despite his signing. Still he has good memories of his time in Austria: "Sometimes we would go bowling in the Prater amusement park instead of training on the pitch. I was fascinated when I first saw such a 12-lane bowling alley."

The 1970s: successful managers and a recruitment ban

Miroslav Vukašinovic came to Austria after the recruitment ban for foreign footballers was lifted in the 1977-78 season. Through a players' agent he transferred to LASK in Linz where he was to stay for four years. His annual salary at the time: 100,000 dollars. What does the former professional think about the different styles of play in Austria and Yugoslavia? "I think it helped that I played differently. The creativity that I brought to the club also helped Austrian players to change their style and get a different view of the game." Vukašinovic enjoyed living in Linz. He regrets that travelling to Austria is not that easy for Serbian citizens today: "Unfortunately I cannot simply get on a plane or take a car and go to Austria, a country that has come to be something of a second home to me. Though I know that I would be given a visa it is still difficult for me to go to the embassy and wait for the permit."

The 1980s: "FC Yugo"

The success that the Croatian manager Otto Baric and players like Kranjcar, Brucic or Halilovic enjoyed with Rapid Vienna in the 1980s also paved the way for many other footballers. Derided as "FC Yugo" by some supporters of archrivals Austria Vienna, Rapid reached the finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985. The same year that Slobodan Batricevic transferred to Vienna FC from OFK Beograd. A friend working at a hotel in Vienna arranged a training with the club and Batricevic made a good impression. "Austria certainly wasn't my number one destination at the time. But they made me an offer and I grabbed the opportunity." He got on well with his teammates and learned German from them. But the crucial factor for being accepted was success on the pitch: "The team stands by you if you deliver the goods. If you don't, tolerance tends to dwindle." Always a reliable player, Batricevic went on to play for Krems and for LASK in Linz. He obtained Austrian citizenship and now works as a manager - his most recent appointment was with Wiener Sportklub.

The 1990s: war and new states

The wars on the Balkans and the liberalisation of the player market had a considerable effect on player migration. In 1996 Boban Dmitrovic from Serbia came to GAK, one of the two main clubs in Graz (Styria), together with manager Ljupko Petrovic, winner of the 1991 European Cup with Red Star Belgrade. In Graz the midfielder met other colleagues from former Yugoslavia. "There were two Croats, Željko Vukovic and Damir Mužek, and Aleš Ceh from Slovenia. To my surprise they were very welcoming even though our countries had been at war not long before that. They also helped me a lot when I came to Austria." Dmitrovic stayed in Graz for nine years, also playing for local rivals Sturm Graz, before moving back to Belgrade. Today he feels sorry for his former club GAK that was relegated to a lower, regional division in 2007 after encountering severe financial troubles. "It is sad that GAK were relegated and lo longer play in the Bundesliga. I would even come back to Graz to somehow help my former club return to the top division."

The interviews with Aleksandar Ivoš, Miroslav Vukašinovic and Boban Dmitrovic were conducted by Milan Radojev in Serbia in 2007.


Part 1: Refugees, guest workers and foreign players
Part 2: Croatian competence
Part 3: Viennese Czechs and Czech Viennese