Steve von Bergen is leaving YB at the end of the season at his own request, Mathieu Beda will become the new Technical Director.
"BSC Young Boys will bid farewell to a club legend at the end of the season: Head of Sport Steve von Bergen has decided not to extend his contract, which expires in the summer, for personal reasons," wrote the Bernese club in a press release.
Von Bergen joined YB as a player from Palermo in 2013 and took on a leading role. In 2018, he captained YB to their first league title in 32 years. After successfully defending the title, the now 41-year-old stepped down. The fact that he scored his first goal for YB in the last match against Lucerne made his departure perfect.
He remained loyal to the club after the end of his playing career. He first worked as assistant coach and defensive coach for the youth team and as interim assistant coach of the first team. In 2022, he then became head of sport at Bern. In this role, the 50-time Swiss international won the league twice and the cup once, and the team also reached the UEFA Champions League twice.
Von Bergen explains: "The decision to leave BSC Young Boys at the end of the season was very difficult for me. My family and YB are my great passions. But in my role as head of sport, I realized that my family was increasingly being neglected; I was no longer able to fulfill my role as a father in the way that I believe is right and necessary."
Effects on the future distribution of roles
Von Bergen's departure will have an impact on the distribution of roles in the sporting management, writes YB. Christoph Spycher will remain in overall charge of sport and will be closer to the coach, the coaching staff and the team on a day-to-day basis in future. Mathieu Beda will be appointed as the new Technical Director.
Beda has excellent connections in football. The 43-year-old Frenchman was a footballer himself and played in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland with FC Zurich. After his active career, he worked as a player consultant and in other functions in European football. Among other things, Beda will be responsible for contracts and transfers and will be involved in squad planning. He will start at YB later this month and has signed a contract until the summer of 2028.
Christoph Spycher, Board Delegate for Sport, explains: "I already held Steve von Bergen in high regard as captain. And we've been working together every day for almost three years now and share the office." It has been "a very nice and intensive time". "We would have liked Steve to stay on. But of course we respect his decision, although we very much regret his departure."
In Mathieu Beda, they have brought in a "specialist" who "has a great deal of expertise in various areas. I am convinced that he will fit in very well at YB," said Spycher.