Marcel Koller has gotten off to a strong start at FCZ

Once again, a new chapter is beginning at FC Zurich, and once again, everything is expected to improve with a new coach. As is customary at this time of year, the key figures are radiating optimism and enthusiasm.

The “great conversations” with Ancillo and Heliane Canepa, the club’s president and his wife, convinced him, Marcel Koller said on Monday at his first official press conference as FC Zurich coach. “They were both decisive in my decision to join FCZ. A passion for soccer unites us,” said the 65-year-old former Austrian national team coach, who retired in 2025 after a three-year stint with Egyptian title-winning club Al Ahly and returned to Switzerland.

A stroke of luck

Now he feels energized once again for another chapter as a coach. Regarding his long history with FCZ rival GC as a player and coach, Koller emphasized: “I am not a GC legend. I am a Zurich native.”

Canepa called it a stroke of luck for FCZ. Marcel Koller stands for competence and experience; his track record speaks for itself. “When a coach like this comes to FC Zurich, it makes us proud.”

Goal: Top 6

Where Koller is supposed to lead the team and how he plans to do so is only roughly outlined at the start of training on this summer day in June. “We certainly want to be in a better position than last season. That’s for sure,” said Canepa. Koller added: “Last season, FCZ finished third from the bottom. So the primary goal is to improve. Finishing in the top six is a reasonable goal.”

Koller’s mission is the same as that of his predecessors, none of whom have managed to stay in office for more than a year since Bo Henriksen’s departure in February 2024: he is tasked with developing the young players. After all, Koller, who grew up in Schwamendingen, cannot expect major investments. “There will be no major shake-up,” Canepa emphasized. Selective changes are to be expected, “but 90 percent of the squad will remain the same. No major investments are planned.” Nevertheless, Canepa made it clear: “FCZ is and will remain ambitious!”