Austria vs. Turkey

Before the test match: “A real Turk doesn’t go down”

"Who does your heart beat for on Tuesday?" The "Krone" asked Austrian Turks before the test match hit.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

More than 300,000 people with a Turkish migration background live in Austria. So it's only logical that the test match clash between Austria and Turkey at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium on Tuesday (20:45) is not like any other game. The "Krone" spoke to lots of Austro-Turks... 

Breakfast at the "Kent" restaurant in Vienna-Favoriten. The coffee imported from Istanbul certainly doesn't fail to have an effect. The two "Krone" reporters are lively. Local boss Akin Sinan waves his thanks - Ramadan. Tuesday's match in Vienna presents Akin, who comes from Trabzon on the Black Sea and has lived in Austria for 20 years, with a luxury problem: no matter who wins, you can share in the joy.

"I would prefer a draw!"
"I'm really 50 percent Turkish and 50 percent Austrian. I would therefore prefer a draw. 0:0, 1:1 or 2:2, that would be ideal." A wish that the "Krone" often hears on this day. The enthusiasm for soccer in Turkey is traditionally huge. "Football is the clear number one, followed by women's volleyball and then basketball." Akin describes life in Austria compared to Turkey, especially compared to the 20 million inhabitants of Istanbul, as "much quieter, more relaxed, me and my family like it very much in Austria." Integration and living together works well, also because many people of Turkish origin are already the second, third or fourth generation in Austria.