Moving confession Mario Frick: "I was completely addicted to sports betting and had debts"
In the football talk show Heimspiel, Lucerne coach Mario Frick speaks publicly for the first time about a dark chapter. The 51-year-old reveals on blue Sport that he was addicted to sports betting at a young age and was in debt.
The current Lucerne coach Mario Frick had a great career as a player, and the 125-time Liechtenstein international left his mark in Italy in particular. Asked in the football talk show Heimspiel whether he is absolutely happy with his career as a player, Frick starts to ponder and talks for the first time about "a dark time" in his life.
The move from Basel to Zurich in the summer of 1999 was his biggest mistake, says Frick. He was a crowd favorite in Basel and nobody understood his move. "But there was a reason! I've never talked about it publicly, but maybe it will help someone if I do. At the time, I was completely addicted to sports betting and had run up so much debt as a young family man that I was looking for a way out. And the offer from FC Zurich gave me the opportunity to get out of the maelstrom and start again. And that's why I did it."
However, he did not become happy as a player in Zurich. "And that simply taught me something: you should never make decisions because of money. All the decisions in my life that I made because of money didn't turn out well."
"I worked it out with myself alone"
His mistake at the time was that he didn't confide in anyone, says Frick, "I did talk to my advisor, but I actually did it on my own. I was perhaps embarrassed too. But it's part of my personality."
That's why his dressing room door is always open for his players today. "No matter what problems they have, I always have an open ear."
Looking back, Frick is simply glad that he overcame his addiction. He never fell off the wagon. "It was a complete lesson for me. When I go to the casino, for example, it immediately puts me off today. That's why I'm glad it happened to me when I was 23 or 24."
