Manuel Liniger is one of the great identification figures in Swiss handball. He is now bringing his experience to the association as Manager of Competitive Sports.
23.01.2025, 04:00
23.01.2025, 06:45
SDA
Only four Swiss players have played more international handball matches than Manuel Liniger (214). However, the 43-year-old had a less successful time in the national team. He took part in the 2002, 2004 and 2006 European Championship finals, the last of which Switzerland hosted. He ended his career in 2018, during which he spent six years in the Bundesliga.
"For the most part, we weren't prepared to approach handball professionally," Liniger says in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency, looking back on his time in the national team. However, he emphasizes that today there are other ways of combining sport and studies. Nevertheless, he would have wished for more commitment from some people.
A wish come true
One player who has played more international matches than Liniger is current national team coach Andy Schmid (218). Now the two have been reunited. Last May, Liniger took over as manager of competitive sport in the association. His workload is around 20 percent; his main job is in the insurance industry.
Liniger regularly exchanges ideas with Schmid, supports him with season planning, among other things, but also deals with issues that go beyond the national team, where the aim is to develop handball in Switzerland in the best possible way. He also sees himself as a link to the clubs, with whom he has a good relationship, not least thanks to his time as an expert on Swiss television.
Liniger's involvement in the association is a wish come true, as he never made a secret of wanting to give something back to handball in some capacity after his career ended. The fact that he can now do this together with Schmid is the icing on the cake for him. "That's exactly what we were both talking about ten years ago," says Liniger. "A lot of things had to come together for this to happen. Our shared past makes the task much easier, as we know exactly how the other works, what is needed and what is not."
Pull effect and good work with young talent
Liniger is more than pleased with the development in Swiss handball. It used to be said that more players would have to go abroad, but now that is no longer an issue. Six of the World Championship team are now playing in the Bundesliga and one in France. If playmaker Manuel Zehnder (Magdeburg) hadn't seriously injured his knee, there would be one more. The 19-year-old Gino Steenaerts is moving to the Rhein-Neckar Löwen for the coming season, while others, such as Felix Aellen, are also likely to make the move abroad soon.
"We have managed to raise Switzerland's profile on the international stage," says Liniger. "Even talented players abroad who have not yet played an international match are coming into focus." On the one hand, he attributes this development to a pull effect, that the youngsters see what is possible when a lot is invested in handball thanks to the role models
On the other hand, even better work is being done in the youth sector. There are academies in Schaffhausen and Bern, and in Winterthur the best young players benefit from the Talent Campus and the optimal conditions in the WIN4 sports and health business park. In general, the infrastructure in many places is more professional or is becoming so - for example, the state-of-the-art Pilatus Arena will open in Kriens next October.
"The national team lives from the work in the clubs," says Liniger. "At this level, you have no chance of compensating for what has been missed down below." That's why cooperation with the clubs is so important. "The only reason we currently have a collection of very good players is because very good work has been done at various levels."
Prepared for anything
The result can now be seen at the World Championships, where the Swiss are the youngest team. Reaching the main round was anything but a matter of course, especially after the loss of Manuel Zehnder. The team showed an astonishing maturity, demanding everything even from Olympic silver medallists Germany (29:31).
It goes without saying that Schmid, who also made courageous decisions, played a large part in this. "He's already very mature, doesn't seem nervous," says Liniger about his long-time companion. "For me, the fact that this is the case has to do with his preparation. He's extremely meticulous, I haven't seen that often in this form, he lives 24 hours a day for handball. Accordingly, he is prepared for all possible scenarios."
The two friends now face the biggest possible challenge, as they will be up against Olympic champions and defending champions Denmark in Herning on Thursday at 8.30pm.
