Ahead of the round of 16 clash against Italy, Nati coach Murat Yakin is a guest on "Heimspiel bei der Nati". He raves about the Nati fans and explains why he makes the La-Ola wave.
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- Our national team coach Murat Yakin is the cheerleader in the stadium before Switzerland's European Championship games, celebrating with the national team fans with the La-Ola wave.
- On blue Sport, Yakin explains how this came about. "I didn't want to be an entertainment program, but it turned out that way," he says.
- He and the players not only enjoy the matches in front of the enthusiastic Nati fans, but also the bus ride to the stadium. "It's fantastic how we are welcomed at the stadiums," says Yakin.
Xhaka, Akanji, Ndoye & Co. have thrilled the Swiss fans with their performances so far at the European Championship in Germany. And the Swiss fans are inspiring Murat Yakin and his team.
The national team coach reveals in the home game on blue Sport that although he doesn't notice much of the great atmosphere in Switzerland surrounding the national team, he does notice what goes on in Germany before and during the games.
"It's wonderful to see these emotions"
Traveling to the stadium in the national team bus is an experience, says Yakin. "It's fantastic how we are welcomed at the stadiums. It's wonderful when we see this enthusiasm, these emotions and the happy faces of our fans."
Whether against Hungary, Scotland or Germany, the national team fans cannot be ignored in the stadiums. They are at operating temperature from minute one. Also thanks to Yakin. Before kick-off, Yakin always heats things up, does a lap and cheers on the thousands of Swiss fans. La-Ola wave included! How did it come about? "It all came about spontaneously."
"I didn't want to be an entertainment program"
At the very beginning, he wanted to thank the fans for their support, Yakin reveals, "It's not a matter of course that they cheer us on like this. Before the last two games, the crowd encouraged me to join in the la-ola wave and I did. I didn't want to be an entertainment program, but that's how it turned out."
Will he even be seen with a megaphone in his hand in the round of 16? Yakin laughs and says: "No. Everything has its limits somewhere. It's great the way it is. The fans are singing my name and applauding. I'm proud of that and feel honored. But it doesn't have to be more than that."
He is enjoying the hype at the moment because he knows that it cannot be taken for granted. Last fall, the mood surrounding the national team and coach Yakin was still at its lowest point. "We drew the right conclusions from those qualifying matches," says Yakin.
He prefers to talk about today. "It's a new year and a different time. We got off to a good start in the European Championship and now we're all looking forward to the knockout phase."
