Federal army instead of a football field: Dragovic has to go to the barracks!

Federal army instead of a football field: Dragovic has to go to the barracks!

In an unexpected move, Aleksandar Dragovic, the defense chief of Austria Vienna, has to join the armed forces after the success in the 344th Vienna derby against Rapid on Sunday. The 33-year-old will report to a barracks in Vienna tomorrow morning and then undergo a medical examination at the Stammersdorf Army Hospital. Dragovic, the 100-time ÖFB team player, did not perform his military service as required because he moved to Basel at the age of 20 before he could join the military. Now that he is active again in Austria, he has been called up for basic military service Small newspaper reported.

Despite this new commitment, Dragovic will continue to work for his club; The Federal Army has granted him exemption for his football activities. The defender will therefore be able to regularly attend training sessions and games while at the same time fulfilling the requirements of his basic military service. He joked after the derby that he would "probably have a swollen ankle tomorrow," which could potentially earn him a temporary leave of absence from military service, like Today quoted.

Derby and military service

Dragovic's situation is particularly explosive as the two clubs, Austria and Rapid, have decided to play the next four derbies without away fans. This follows the serious riots at the last clash, which resulted in numerous injuries and hundreds of reports. Austria is currently in second place in the table with 34 points, while Rapid is in fourth place with 28 points. These developments show how football and players' social obligations are intertwined and how quickly circumstances can change for a player.