Fritz Schmid was a congenial partner of Christian Gross, national team coach of New Zealand and most recently head of training at GC for 22 days. At blue Sport, he talks publicly for the first time about his short time in office. He also tells us what he thinks about FC Basel and its boss.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Fritz Schmid, highly respected as a coach and trainer not only in this country, encountered nothing but chaos at GC, the club close to his heart, as he tells blue Sport.
- "There were no responsibilities, no structures. It was all confused, unclear, confusing. So much didn't get done and you felt like your arms were tied behind your back."
- The 64-year-old was brought in during his last stint in Switzerland as head of training at GC. But after 22 days, he had seen enough: "I realized: Some people haven't read my job description, or they have no interest in my input at all. I don't have to have that anymore."
Hardly any Swiss coach has traveled further than Fritz Schmid: the 64-year-old coached the GC youth team and was almost a concessionary coach at Tottenham - a lack of a work permit prevented him from signing a contract. He assisted in Aarau, Zurich and Basel and with the Austrian national team. He was head coach in Kriens, technical director in Malaysia, coach in Ghana, national team coach of New Zealand. And he still trains coaches today, recently in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
And most recently, globetrotter Schmid, who wrote as a journalist for sports information and studied sport, languages and journalism, was head of training at GC. For just 22 days.
He was asked to take over the job at the start of 2024. His former players Bernt Haas as head of sport and Bruno Berner as coach approached him. "Accepting was an emotional decision. GC - that's a lasting bond," explains Schmid, who had already played at the Hardturm as a junior.
He was asked to analyze the youth department - and to use his Uefa Pro license to ensure that GC continues to receive the best possible association label for its youth work. Losing the label can quickly cost several hundred thousand francs.
Schmid immediately makes one thing clear: that he is not only available for the position as a diploma provider, but also wants to make decisions immediately if he deems them necessary. He is motivated - and quickly disillusioned. "The mandate was intended for six months. But I quickly realized: it just wasn't possible."
Vogel always has his say
Schmid submits proposals, makes suggestions - and doesn't get access. He is denied relevant insights: about budgets or coaches' salaries. Women's coaches run units for talented male players without consulting the staff of the youth department. "Then I find out that a junior is only playing because his father sponsors the club." Schmid continues: "There were no responsibilities, no structures. It was all confused, unclear, confusing. So much doesn't get done and you feel like your arms are tied behind your back." He quickly realizes that there is nothing he can do about it.
Too many people are involved - including the gray eminence of the Hoppers: Erich Vogel, who has dedicated himself to the women's team, but also interferes with the men. When Fredy Bickel returned to the campus a few days after Schmid took office for "a comprehensive assessment and analysis to stabilize the youth department", as the club announced, Schmid had had enough - even though he had a good, trusting relationship with Bickel.
Schmid says: "I have realized: Some people haven't read my job description, or they have no interest in my input at all. I don't have to have that anymore." He is throwing in the towel, like so many before him who have contributed to this unusual fluctuation on campus through their short stay. One of them is club icon Ricardo Cabanas.
Schmid, highly respected as a coach and trainer not only in this country, says: "I'm done with Swiss football." He adds: "I was sorry to leave so quickly for Bernt and Bruno, whom I know so well, and for the junior staff. But I had to act like this."
Degen and due diligence
Nevertheless, he still watches the Super League with great interest and a keen eye. Not least at his former club FCB, with whom he won the league and cup four times and experienced great Champions League nights. "David Degen (president, editor's note) was already talking about business and due diligence as a young player at the Waldlauf. I'm sure he has his business very well under control. And his strategy is obviously working: FCB is generating huge revenues on the transfer market."
Nevertheless, Schmid regrets one thing: that fewer and fewer players are building up a relationship with the club and the fans. "Players who need an intermediate step before moving on to a top league see FCB as a stopover. It's almost impossible to build up identification figures that way. That hurts me and many people who are or were close to FCB." That's why he doesn't believe FCB will win the championship any time soon - despite Xherdan Shaqiri. "Shaqiri is a monument to the club. He will remain so. To say anything else is out of the question."
