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Report nowA golf course instead of isolation, a beach instead of cramped quarters: The national team is opting for an environment with plenty of open space at the World Cup in San Diego. SFV President Peter Knäbel explains why he isn’t worried about the players’ leisure activities.
The Swiss national team has chosen the Fairmont Grand Del Mar Hotel in San Diego as its training camp. “The hotel is spacious; it’s nestled within a golf resort. We have a wing to ourselves,” says Peter Knäbel, adding: “There, we can be alone if we want to. But in the lobby, we also see the other hotel guests. There was a wedding over the weekend, for example. But you don’t hear anything about it because it’s on the other side.”
In the past, the Swiss national team has suffered from cabin fever at some soccer tournaments. Is there a risk of that happening at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar as well? “The players—and the coach, too—would obviously rather be at the beach,” jokes Andy Böni, editor-in-chief of blue Sport.
“In 2010 in South Africa, it was a big problem that the players were too close together and had too little variety. In 2018 in Russia, there were too many mosquitoes outside on the Volga, so they couldn’t get much exercise,” he recalls. At the current national team camp, however, there are plenty of opportunities for distraction. Knäbel confirms Böni’s impression: “It’s easy to feel at home here. You have every opportunity for leisure activities. And it’s also really nice when, like us, you can organize a team event on the beach.”
But keeping the national team stars on a tight leash isn’t necessary. “You don’t have to worry about our players. They know what to do with their time. Leisure activities and personal responsibility are naturally part of that,” the German emphasizes.
The SFV president also doesn’t shy away from interacting with the players. “We’re close, after all. I keep realizing how old I am and yet how I still manage to connect with the players,” explains the 59-year-old.
Still, Knäbel hasn’t received an invitation to play ping-pong yet: “I haven’t quite made it to a table tennis match yet,” he notes with a twinkle in his eye. “I’m way at the bottom of the seedings there.”
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