Switzerland
Switzerland
By Richard Pedler
JAKARTA (JP): In the words of team captain Alain Geiger,
"Switzerland is not exactly a football-crazy country," and the
richest citizens in Europe consider the players' demands for
US$30,000 USA'94 qualifying bonuses "greedy."
But with the simultaneous discovery of four "world-class"
players, all with Bundesliga clubs, coach Roy Hodgson has been
able to take Switzerland to their first major finals for 28
years.
Baby-face striker Stephane Chapuisat and top scorer Adrian
Knup (with 21 goals in 31 games) head the attack, supported from
midfield by the flowing locks of Alain Sutter, and the stylish
Ciriaco Sforza, who is to retire from international football at
twenty-four to take up Italian citizenship, his parents'
birthplace.
On their way to America the Swiss embarrassed Italy in
Cagliari, 2-0 up with seven minutes to go before sloppy defending
left them with only a draw. Their once customary inferiority
complex vanished as the English boss organized his multi-lingual,
multi-racial team into a solid core of nine regulars (including
five naturalized Swiss) beaten only once in 16 matches.
Sexless Swiss?
Back in 1966, Switzerland's last campaign ended in three
successive defeats. Two players were dropped for breaking curfew
for a night on the town.
Whether Hodgson's "No Sex Please, I'm British" attitude will
go down as well as his tactical acumen is another matter. He has
banned players' wives and girlfriends from the team hotel
starting on Tuesday, when they warm up against Bolivia in
Montreal, and ending with the Swiss World Cup bid.
The mixture of seasoned veterans and youthful stars may not
take kindly to enforced celibacy in the Land of Opportunity when
fellow World Cup coach Carlos Parreira hopes his Brazilian squad
will "release tension" on rest-days with "the pleasures of
shopping or sex." So it will be no surprise if the Sambas' USA'94
interest lasts longer.
In a 1-3-4-2 tactical style, versatile libero and captain
Alain Geiger has now accumulated 90 caps. Three years older,
another veteran in the side is moustached midfield orchestrator
and dead-ball specialist Georges Bregy (36).
Thomas Bickel, an experienced schemer back from a year of
international retirement, Beat Sutter and Andy Egli complete the
over-thirty club.
No fear
As top scorers in their qualifying group, the Swiss have no
fears going into their opening match with the hosts. In
Switzerland's first world cup appearance since 1966, Hodgson
expects his players "to make the most of this unique opportunity
to prove themselves at the highest level," and Chapuisat,
recently off-form at Borussia Dortmund, promises "the World Cup
has been my only motivation, so when we meet the Americans, I'll
be at my sharpest."
On Monday: At Last, The Hosts