Fringer and Frei understand Weiler "There are a lot of people talking here who have no idea about football"
The interview with René Weiler on blue Sport caused a stir. He explained why he no longer wants to sit on the bench in Swiss professional football and criticized the way coaches are treated. The blue Sport experts Rolf Fringer and Alex Frei support him.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- René Weiler led Servette to cup victory last season as coach, but then surprisingly gave up the job and took over as head of sport at Geneva.
- Weiler explained his decision to blue Sport and made it clear that a coach receives less respect in Switzerland than abroad.
- The blue Sport experts Rolf Fringer and Alex Frei can understand Weiler.
The statements made by René Weiler in the big interview with blue Sport are quite something. "The Swiss value the performance of athletes less than they do abroad," he says. Or: "The Swiss have a detrimental talent for belittling their own potential." And: "I'm starting to get annoyed by the potential for envy in the country."
A coach in Switzerland does not have the same status as one abroad, says the Servette head of sport. And that's why he doesn't want to work as a club coach in the Super League. "There are a lot of people talking here - including many who have no expertise at this level," he says.
There is talk of a lack of respect. Rolf Fringer agrees with Weiler. He himself was a coach in Switzerland for many years, becoming champion with Aarau (1992/93) and GC (1997/98), but also worked in Germany (Stuttgart), Greece, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates.
"If you've worked abroad for a big club, you get a certain amount of appreciation throughout your life. In our case, a lot of people have a say and get involved - even those who don't know much about football," says the blue Sport expert. "The appreciation abroad is clearly greater."
Alex Frei sees FC Winterthur as a role model
According to Fringer, it saps your energy and drive when, as a coach, you constantly have to fight against superiors who really have no business in their positions. That's why he understands Weiler when he no longer wants to do this.
Alex Frei knows that there is another way. "At FC Winterthur, there was only one contact person, Oliver Kaiser. No transfer committee or anything else." There was only an exchange between the head of sport and the coach and then it was decided which players would be transferred and which would not. "From my point of view, that's ideal," says Frei. That's why he can completely understand Weiler's attitude.
