Austria in football chaos: national coach and city councilor in dispute!

Austria in football chaos: national coach and city councilor in dispute!

Before the highly expected Nation League playoff home game between Austria and Serbia on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 8:45 p.m. in the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, guests from Serbia pull all the registers to capitalize on the stadium debate. While ÖFB coach Ralf Rangnick is aiming for a modernization of the Happel Stadium, the Vienna City Council is hesitating under Peter Hacker, and the Serbian media transform the actually harmless conflict of interest into a heated conflict that they claim that he reflects the chaos in Vienna. "ÖFB coach moves to war with a city council," titles the online portal Telegraf.rs and speculates that Serbia could use this moment to take advantage of the uncertainties of the Austrian team, such as OE24 reports .

But the situation is also tense in Serbian football. The National Association FSS is struggling with internal disputes, and even national coach Dragan Stojković is increasing criticism. Various players, including ex-captain Dušan Tadić, announced that they no longer want to compete for the national team under Stojković. The pressure on the Serbian team increases while preparing for the decisive ascent to League A in Vienna, which raises the question of whether such internal problems could be an opportunity for Austria. The match is also transferred live to DAZN, while in Austria the free broadcast on ORF 1 and in the livestream via ORF ON takes place, such as SPOX reported .

The meeting therefore promises not only sporting explosiveness, but also an exciting media discussion about the dark sides of football and the situation in the run -up to an important game. Both teams have a lot to lose while the spectators look at the stadium light.