After Von Ballmoos' demotion Zubi: "YB didn't handle the goalie situation well"

Michael Wegmann

22.1.2025

Former international goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler gives the YB management a bad report card for their handling of goalkeepers Von Ballmoos and Keller and says: "Von Ballmoos will now look for a new club."

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • One of Giorgio Contini's first official acts as the new YB coach? He shaved Bern's regular keeper David von Ballmoos.
  • For Pascal Zuberbühler, it is understandable that the young Marvin Keller can be made "number 1", but the goalkeeping hiccup at YB is home-made.
  • Zubi criticizes the YB management: "The goalkeeper situation has not been handled well by those responsible at YB. They shouldn't have brought Marvin back for this season and continued to loan him out."

YB makes headlines shortly before the start of the 2025 football year. New coach Giorgio Contini demotes regular keeper David von Ballmoos (30) and makes 22-year-old Marvin Keller the new number 1.

Zubi: "It's bitter and hard for Von Ballmoos"

Former national team goalkeeping legend and blue expert Pascal Zuberbühler understands the move. The fact that Contini opted for Keller is absolutely legitimate, "he is faced with a squad and has to choose his best eleven. And that's what he did. It is normal that there are cases of hardship. Of course, it's bitter and hard for David."

Keller is a worthy number 1 in the YB goal, according to Zubi, but von Ballmoos' demotion and this whole goalkeeping hiccup could have been prevented. "The goalkeeping situation was not handled well by those responsible at YB. They shouldn't have brought Marvin back for this season and continued to loan him out."

But they did. And even together with Patrick Rahmen, Keller's coach at FC Winterthur. Zubi: "And what happened then? Rahmen began to rotate, sometimes von Ballmoos was in goal, then Keller again. That wasn't the main reason for the sporting failure. But the people in charge didn't do it well."

Not easy to find a new club

In September, YB extended von Ballmoos, whose contract would have expired in the summer of 2025, early until 2027, even with an option for a further season. The signal was unmistakable: the club is banking on its home-grown talent. "YB is bringing Marvin Keller back and extending von Ballmoos by two and a half years at the same time, I didn't understand that either. YB doesn't need two number ones. I don't understand the transfer committee's considerations at all."

Now, a few months later, everything has changed again from one day to the next. Zubi is convinced that von Ballmoos will not be satisfied with the bench. "I can't imagine that he wants to do his time on the bench. He is ambitious and wants to play. To do that, he has to leave YB. I'm sure his advisor has already taken action."

But it won't be easy for a champion keeper like von Ballmoos to find a new club in the next few days. At least not in Switzerland. The goalkeeping positions in the Super League are filled, so there is no need for action.