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Report nowBecause Andy Egli, while coaching in South Korea, ran into trouble with the betting mafia, he returned to Switzerland. He brought back with him what was supposedly a very clever business idea.
After his first stint with FC Thun, then a first-division club, Andy Egli was considered one of Switzerland’s most promising coaching talents. At the time, he was even touted as a future national team coach, but in the end, he didn’t quite make it to the very top level of coaching. After further stints with clubs including FC Luzern, FC Aarau, Waldhof Mannheim, and FC Biel, Egli ended up in South Korea in 2006.
There, he took over as head coach of Busan IPark FC. “It was a different world, but it was a cool place to work,” says the former national team player about his time in Asia. “I only came back then because I was confronted by the betting mafia.”
Egli recalls: “Back then, I often had the impression that we were losing games we really shouldn’t have lost.” His team had made tremendous progress at the time, and so he became increasingly convinced “that we were losing games that weren’t fair.” Among other things, he realized that referees, club officials, and even his own players were caught up in this dilemma. But addressing this publicly was “too sensitive” for him.
Under these circumstances, he decided to return to Europe. From then on, he took on only coaching positions in the amateur ranks. But there was a strategy behind this: “I had figured out—based on my experience as a player and coach—that if a coach were fired from a professional club, I could offer my services.”
"But back then, I didn't have the platform to publicize this in the media," says Egli, referring to the failure of his plan.
Now, on the blue Talk show “World Cup Heroes Forever,” he does have a platform to draw attention to himself, but the offer is no longer on the table, says Egli. He himself no longer wants to take on any coaching positions. “However, a fellow coach is welcome to adopt my idea.”
14.07.2026, 17:49
