Bernhard Heusler shaped FC Basel's most successful era. In conversation with Francisco Rodriguez and Sven Dalla Palma, he looks back - on strong personalities, difficult decisions and emotional anecdotes.
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- Former FCB president Bernhard Heusler emphasizes in the "Cic-Off Talk" that strong leaders like Delgado, Samuel and Streller were crucial to the club's success.
- Such players should be "gilded", as they take on responsibility and also shape the team off the pitch.
- Painful decisions such as parting ways with deserving players are necessary for the club's future - despite fan protests and emotional strain.
Bernhard Heusler was at the forefront of FC Basel's great era of success - FCB won eight championship titles in a row under the then president. He left the club in 2017, and today the lawyer works in various fields, including giving talks on leadership qualities and leadership at the age of 61.
In the "Cic-Off Talk" with former footballer Francisco Rodriguez and Sven Dalla Palma, Heusler reveals who and what particularly impressed him during his time in office.
Samuel and Delgado as a stroke of luck
"We have been successful over the years because we were lucky - perhaps we had a knack for it - to have leaders in the team," says Heusler. He is certain that success does not necessarily require the best president or sports director, but personalities on the pitch.
In addition to Walter Samuel - Heusler is still in contact with the Argentinian, who became world champion in 2022 as assistant coach - Heusler is particularly enthusiastic about Matias Delgado: "Delgado walked through the city with all the Spanish-speaking players, explained to them where they could go out, where they could park, where they could get food - he looked after them so that they weren't sitting alone in their apartment."
The Argentinian, who was also a crowd favourite on the pitch, did all the coaching without a mandate from the club officials. The footballers from his own region also took the lead. "Marco Streller sat in the dressing room with a laptop on his lap and showed Mohamed Salah the recording of the last championship celebrations at the Barfi," said Heusler. Things like that are "worth their weight in gold", enthuses Heusler, adding: "It has a completely different effect than when someone comes into the dressing room wearing a tie and says: 'You're at FC Basel, it's important to become Swiss champions'."
"Having people like that - you have to make them golden. You can't be stingy or envious. They are also the first to be attacked when things aren't going well. They expose themselves in every match, they have the ball in their hands in the 90th minute when there's a penalty," explains Heusler.
Painful decisions
"It's very dangerous to have players who have this ambition in the dressing room but can't deliver on the pitch. As president, it's dangerous to say it's time to part ways - that hurts," says Heusler. Not all players would take such decisions equally well. Heusler continues: "The clubs that extend the contracts of such players for the sake of the fans receive cheers from everywhere, but are actually more of a burden than a blessing."
Francisco Rodriguez, who mentions the example of David da Costa, also knows what it feels like as a team member when a leader has to leave. "He was an icon at FCZ. From one day to the next, he was no longer the regular goalkeeper and had to change. As a FCZ junior and as someone who stood in the south curve - it was incredible," recalls the 30-year-old.
"Now you can imagine how painful that is as a decision-maker," replies Heusler. In principle, it would be nice to be guided by the opinion in the stadium. Such players are simply idolized by the fans. The supporters are also not responsible for the future of the club. You don't make any new friends with such decisions, explains the 61-year-old. But such separations are not made out of malice, but rather after intensive discussions in order to provide new impetus in certain positions.
In such constellations, there are basically two types, says Heusler. Players like Walter Samuel, who serve the greater good regardless of the scenario, and players - often attacking players - who find it difficult to take second place.
Anecdotes about Akanji, Elneny and Salah
But dealing with ageing veterans is not the only task of a club manager. Heusler explains how the transfer of Manuel Akanji came about in 2015: "Our coach at the time, Paulo Sousa, wanted a central defender from Barcelona's second team, which was actually a great opportunity for us. Akanji, however, was still playing for Winterthur in the Challenge League. A scout then wrote in a report: 'Manuel Akanji is not a player for FC Basel. He is a player for a bigger club.
As a club, we stood our ground after this clear statement and brought Manu in." Akanji now has 75 caps for Switzerland and plays for Inter.
Mo Salah and Mohamed Elneny also played for the Beppi: "They are people who touched me deeply." During a fan talk, Salah summed up the difference between him and his Egyptian compatriot: 'I'm a city man (city boy) and he's a farmer man (farmer)'."
"Salah is the more extrovert of the two and Elneny is just so humble. I think it's great what careers they've had," enthuses Heusler.
You can find out more exciting stories from the long-time FCB boss here on YouTube.
