Marc Schneider is at the top of the Challenge League with FC Vaduz. In just over a year and a half in the Ländle, the 45-year-old has led FCV from the bottom of the table back into the fight for promotion. The top match against Aarau follows on Friday - blue Zoom will broadcast live from 8pm.
19.12.2025, 10:00
19.12.2025, 10:30
SDA
Born in Thun, Marc Schneider has moved with his family to Trübbach on the Swiss border with Liechtenstein. In an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency, Schneider talks about euphoria and restraint, parallels with his former club Thun and why, despite his previous history, he would not come full circle if Vaduz were to achieve promotion.
Marc Schneider, your home in the Bernese Oberland has been quite far away for you for a good year and a half. How did the commitment to FC Vaduz come about in the first place?
In our job, it's a privilege to be able to work at all. In Switzerland, there are twelve clubs in the Super League and ten in the Challenge League - so the choice is very limited. In the end, it's purely a question of timing. I had been in contact with head of sport Franz Burgmeier for some time. When Vaduz needed me, I was free and had an incredibly strong desire to be back on the touchline. Distance no longer plays a role for me. The people and the idea are much more important.
Before you signed for Vaduz, you were without a job for almost a year and a half after your time at Greuther Fürth. How did you experience this phase?
The fact that it took almost a year and a half was not planned, but looking back I used the time very wisely. It was a gift, especially for the family. I was able to go on vacation with the children, which is something you never get to do as a coach. I met lots of friends, visited other clubs and thought outside the box. I enjoyed not feeling the pressure every weekend for a while. But then there comes a point when you realize: I need that again. I wanted to deliver again, I wanted to feel that tension at the weekend. That's why I'm glad that I got this opportunity here.
You took over the team in 8th place, now you're fighting for the lead in the table. How did you manage that?
In the beginning, it was primarily about moving away from the bottom places in the table. That worked quickly, we even finished third in the summer, even though the gap in points between us and the top two places was huge at the time. The real process then took place last summer. We had a major upheaval. Now we have a squad together that we can say fits. We play a very dominant style of football with a lot of possession. The boys are implementing this incredibly well and are currently rewarding themselves with the corresponding results.
Aarau are level on points. How do you see this duel for promotion? It's a direct duel at the Rheinpark Stadium on Friday.
We have to do our job, regardless of what happens on the other pitches. In the past, when I was a younger coach, I often looked at my direct rivals. I've stopped doing that completely. These are factors that I can't influence. For us, Friday is a game like any other. Of course it's an important one against a direct competitor, but last week's game in Rapperswil was just as important. I try to instill this pragmatism in the players: We mustn't overrate this. The great art with teams that want to win something in the end is consistency.
In previous years, Vaduz was regarded as a "lift team" that immediately relegated again after promotion. Do you think the current project is capable of establishing itself in the Super League in the long term?
This question is still a long way off. But of course, the club's history shows that continuity in the top division is the biggest challenge. In order to achieve this in the long term, it would be crucial to keep the core of the team together and strengthen it selectively without losing its identity. But first we have to get there in the first place.
Was promotion to the Super League a defined goal for the season from the outset?
Our goal was always to establish ourselves as a top team and to play at the top for as long as possible. We don't have the same financial resources as others, but that's of secondary importance. If we're still up there six or seven rounds before the end, we don't have to discuss it: Then every one of us wants promotion. Every athlete wants to get the maximum out of it. But we're not making a big story out of it now. We look from weekend to weekend - that may sound boring, but it's the only way to really achieve something in the end.
You experienced FC Vaduz's last promotion at first hand in 2020. In the barrage, as the losing coach of FC Thun.
That was a long time ago and was a painful part of my history with Thun. But that is over now. I've been with several clubs since then. That's why I wouldn't say that I personally would have come full circle if we were to make it with Vaduz now. It would be incredibly great, but not as compensation for the past, but as a reward for the work we're doing today.
The reward could also be an engagement with a bigger club. Or can you even recommend yourself for bigger tasks at FC Vaduz?
FCV is a springboard for everyone. For players and coaches alike. When we are successful, it arouses desire. But you also have to appreciate what you have. You shouldn't put everything at risk just because you might earn two francs fifty more elsewhere. Loyalty is important to me. Who gave me the chance when things were perhaps difficult for me personally? That applies to me as a coach just as much as it does to the players.
The Rheinpark Stadium often has a rather modest crowd. Do you sense that your team is playing such a good season?
People in Liechtenstein are not so quick to burst into euphoria. They register positively when things are going well, but spectator numbers don't suddenly shoot through the roof because of it. You have to put that into perspective: Vaduz has 5000 inhabitants. If 1500 people come, that's a lot in comparison. I like to compare it to my time in Thun: you have to take care of the people who come. They are happy at the moment and enjoy our football. That's nice.
Speaking of Thun. As a TV pundit, you also keep a close eye on your former club. Are you surprised that Thun could go into the winter break as leaders of the Super League?
I probably wouldn't have predicted that they would be so far ahead before the season. But when you see how the team has developed over time, I'm not surprised. This success has grown organically. Thun are playing exactly the same football in the Super League that they played in the Challenge League. What's more, the supposed "big names" in the league are weakening or are inconsistent. Just look at Lugano, who struggled at the beginning, or Young Boys, who only regained stability after a change of coach. Basel and Zurich are also not scoring as one would expect. This situation suits Thun. But the most important thing is that they are doing their job well and staying true to themselves.
In Thun, staying true to yourself also means continuity and calm.
The example of FC Thun is the best argument against actionism in football. You can see a clear path over three years under Mauro Lustrinelli. Those responsible have had time to build something up. If you work seriously and allow continuity to prevail, the chance of success is simply greater. In this respect, Thun is a role model for all clubs. There is often a much higher risk of falling into actionism, especially with larger clubs, because the expectations from outside are huge. But that's exactly where you make the biggest mistakes. You can't lose your head just because you suddenly think you're better.
