Following the U21 national team's embarrassing failure in the European Championship qualifiers against Luxembourg, the SFA has pulled the ripcord and terminated its collaboration with coach Sascha Stauch.
"Following an in-depth analysis of the sporting situation, the SFA has decided to end its collaboration with U-21 national team coach Sascha Stauch after almost two and a half years," it said in a press release.
"The team needs new impetus in order to continue developing its performance and achieve its sporting goals in the long term. We are convinced that a new approach can decisively strengthen the team's development," said national team director Pierluigi Tami.
To remain in the running for the European Championship qualifiers, Switzerland need to win their group or at least finish second for the play-offs. However, there has been a lack of consistent performances and stable results in recent months. Most recently, the U21 team initially impressed with a 1-1 draw against France, but then lost 2-1 in Luxembourg and are only in 3rd place after five games with two wins.
"It wasn't easy for us to make this decision. We have great respect for the work done by Sascha Stauch and would like to thank him for his commitment," says Tami. "Nevertheless, we are convinced that now is the right time to take a new direction in sport." A new U21 coach should be in place by January 2026 at the latest.
