How the Swiss of 1994 became pioneers

"I really believe that we opened a lot of doors," says Yvan Quentin, the indispensable left-back of the 1994 Swiss team, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "After the World Cup, Swiss players were increasingly courted by foreign clubs," explains Quentin. "The Swiss national team naturally benefited from this."

In 1994, the national team managed to reconcile an entire country with its footballers. First there was Georges Bregy's free kick in the opening game against the USA (1:1) and four days later the game that is still told today: the 4:1 win against Romania, led by Gheorghe Hagi. It is still regarded as "the" most successful match ever played by a Swiss national team. "Together with the victory against Spain in 2010," corrects Quentin.

Even more than the victory itself, the 56-year-old remembers the stadium in Detroit where Switzerland played their first two World Cup games: "It was gigantic. We weren't used to playing in an arena like that back then. The impression that everything in the USA was oversized really stayed with us throughout our stay."

Alain Sutter, the high-flyer

Against Romania, it was Alain Sutter who opened the scoring in the 16th minute with an unstoppable right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area. The current Grasshoppers sporting director was the X-factor of this Swiss team. "He had just completed his first year in the Bundesliga with Nuremberg before signing for Bayern Munich. He had put on muscle mass," emphasizes Yvan Quentin. "He was really superior to the others."

Unfortunately, Alain Sutter missed the round of 16 match against Spain in Washington due to an injured toe. Letting him play from the start in the third group game against Colombia, even though Switzerland's qualification was already assured, was undoubtedly a mistake. Without the strong midfielder, Switzerland were beaten 3-0. Goals from Fernando Hierro (15), Luis Enrique (74) and Aitor Begiristain (86) ensured a clear verdict.

The absurd accusation

32 years after this defeat, Yvan Quentin firmly rejects the regulars' table theory that the Swiss players only had one wish in mind on July 2, 1994: to return home as quickly as possible. "It's true that the preparation was very long. We had traveled to Canada before the start of the World Cup," recalls the 41-time international. "But we were prepared to stay a week or two longer. Who can believe that we would have said to ourselves: 'We'll take it easy against Spain and go home tomorrow! That's absurd. I remember we had a very good chance before the 0-1. After Hierro's goal, things got very complicated."

Quentin sees the harmony within the team as an important factor in the successful 1994 World Cup despite the knockout in the round of 16. "We had Roy Hodgson and goalkeeping coach Mike Kelly to thank for that. They took the time to talk to all the players, even those who weren't playing."

In addition to fame, the 22 World Cup players also received a considerable financial boost. For Quentin, the bonuses he received at the time were practically equivalent to his annual salary at FC Sion. Today, the question of bonuses in the Swiss national team no longer really arises in view of the salary development in the clubs. "In that respect, it really was a different time," smiles Yvan Quentin.