In order to become more successful, the FCZ academy now relies on punitive training. The higher the failure, the more the talents have to sprint. "A no-go", says an experienced educationalist. Moreover, collective punishment is not permitted.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FC Zurich has introduced collective punishment training due to unsatisfactory results in the junior squad: the teenagers have to complete intensive running sessions after defeats. The worse the defeat, the more running they have to do.
- Educational scientist Andy Benz criticizes the measures as disproportionate, counterproductive and legally questionable. He says: "Collective punishment training is a no-go, especially in the youth section." In addition, collective punishment is actually also prohibited, says Benz, who is on the education council of the canton of St. Gallen.
- FCZ responded in writing, stating that they wanted to strengthen the winning mentality and resilience of the young players and called the punishment training 'temporary additional training'.
Because FCZ is dissatisfied with the results of its young players (the U16s, for example, are bottom of the table), it is resorting to unusual methods to give the players a boost. Penalty training!
In the event of defeats with a one-goal difference, the talented FCZ Academy players have to complete five 100-meter sprints immediately after the final whistle. If the difference is two goals, they have to do more.
If the difference is three goals or more, all the young players and coaches have to trot to the FCZ Heerenschürli campus the next morning - which is often a Sunday off - and complete their "high-intensity runs" there. Even talented players who only sat on the bench during the collapse.
"Collective punishment training is disproportionate"
Are such collective training sessions for FCZ talents a sensible and legitimate preparation for competitive sport? Does it make them better?
blue News asked Andy Benz, a long-standing educationalist, member of the education council of the canton of St. Gallen and also a children's football coach. He doesn't know the general punishment practice at FCZ in detail, he says, "but collective punishment training is a no-go, especially in the youth section". An improvement in performance cannot be achieved in this way, Benz continues. "They are disproportionate and counterproductive, they can strengthen cohesion in the wrongly punished group, weaken motivation and confidence and also turn against the punisher."
blue News learned that junior coaches have already told their team to defend when they are 2 goals behind instead of playing forward and trying to turn the game around. For fear of the penalty training the next day.
Are such collective penalty runs even legal? Benz: "Collective punishment is prohibited in modern law. In many cantons, they are prohibited by the Elementary School Act; only individual rule violations may be punished and not innocent people."
The teenagers and their parents could defend themselves against the punishments and would be vindicated. But in practice, no one is likely to do this, as everyone dreams of a future as a professional.
Collective punishment is still occasionally used elsewhere - in the military, but also in the world of football. For example, when entire sections of fans are banned or groups of fans are excluded due to the misconduct of individuals.
What the FCZ says about the punishment training sessions
And what does FCZ have to say about the punitive training sessions at Heerenschürli? The FCZ has sent blue News a written statement. It writes: "It is true that we want to strengthen the winning mentality and resilience of the young players as part of temporary additional training sessions." And: "It is important to know that there are always rewards in return for good performances, such as joint team meals, days off or regeneration weeks." The teams of the FCZ women's section are not affected by these temporary additional training sessions.
