Two years ago, Anthony Racioppi was in the national team squad, but then his career stalled. Now the 26-year-old is working in Sion, where he feels at home again. In an interview with blue Sport ahead of the clash against his former club, the goalkeeper also talks about his time in Bern.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Anthony Racioppi, once in the national team and later demoted at YB, has found a new foothold and a regular place at FC Sion after difficult spells in England and Cologne.
- The 26-year-old goalkeeper appreciates the confidence, the good team chemistry and the strong start to the season of the Valais team.
- Ahead of the clash against former club YB (Sunday, 14:00 live on blue Sport), he emphasizes that he has positive memories of his time in Bern despite the unpleasant farewell.
Finally playing through a season. That's what Anthony Racioppi wants more than anything. He wants to stay injury-free, develop further and gain stability. Something the Geneva native has managed to do at times in his career, but never for a whole season.
After training at the Olympique Lyon football academy, Racioppi won and lost the number 1 position in Dijon, and then experienced the same in Bern.
He initially replaced long-time regular goalkeeper David von Ballmoos and played in the Champions League with YB. That fall, after twelve appearances for the U21s, he was also called up for the senior national team for the first time. Racioppi's path seemed to be mapped out.
Racioppi: "I was angry and disappointed"
But then the then coach Raphaël Wicky preferred David von Ballmoos again for the second half of the season. The demotion just four months after his promotion hurt the man from Geneva.
"That was disappointing, because I was having a good run. When the plug was pulled on me, I was pretty angry and disappointed," said Racioppi in an interview with blue Sport (see video above).
The move abroad seemed logical, but Hull City in England quickly proved to be a misstep. He was allowed to play one game for the team from the second-highest English league. In the League Cup, he made a mistake that led to a 2-1 defeat. This was followed by no further appearances and a loan to Cologne in the winter, where he also failed to make a serious appearance.
"Last year was difficult. The experience is valuable, but in terms of playing time, it was a bit more complicated," says Racioppi, for whom it was clear that he needed a club where he could start the new season.
New calm in Sion
Barthélémy Constantin was able to offer him this assurance. The FC Sion sporting director not only gave the goalkeeper a regular place, but also a four-year contract. Signs of trust that Racioppi was only too happy to accept after a difficult few months.
"It's really good for me to be in a team that trusts me and that I can contribute to," says the 26-year-old enthusiastically. "Now that I'm here, I'm really not disappointed."
But is FC Sion really the right place to find stability? A few years ago, this question would probably have been answered in the negative. In the meantime, however, a certain calm seems to have returned to the Valais club.
Apart from the controversial trip to Russia for a lucrative test match, the "good news" has recently dominated in Valais. For example, the club recently announced that it would donate the proceeds from one side of the stand to the village of Blatten, which was affected by the landslide. Instead of the coaching capers that have almost become a tradition in Sion, Didier Tholot has now started the season for the third time in a row. The players also seem to feel at home. When Benjamin Kololli extended his contract, he emphasized that returning to Sion was one of the best decisions of his career.
Racioppi is also very satisfied after just a few weeks. The work with goalkeeping coach Massimo Colomba, who has been employed at Sion since 2022 after ten years at FC Basel, is "great" - and the exchange with the nominal number 2 Francesco Ruberto is also working well. "The team spirit is great anyway."
Another good start
The first two rounds of the championship have shown that the team is on the right track. A comeback like the one in Zurich, when Sion turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win between the 81st and 91st minute, requires great morale. This was followed last weekend by an impressive 4-0 triumph over ambitious Lugano, which even lifted FC Sion to the top of the table.
However, Racioppi and Co. are not getting carried away by the good start. "You can't get too excited now. The season is still long." Even though he wasn't there last year, he knows that Sion started last summer with two wins - and that you shouldn't get too excited about that. Nevertheless, the Valaisans are more ambitious in their objectives than other clubs. They clearly state that they want to finish in the top six.
A real endurance test awaits on Sunday - and a return to Bern for Racioppi. A year ago, Sion ended a historic dry spell and celebrated their first away league win against YB since 1996. However, their record in the Wankdorf over the past three decades is still clearly negative, with 37 defeats in 44 league games.
Despite the rather unpleasant ending, the goalkeeper is looking forward to the reunion with his old club with a relaxed attitude. "Despite everything, the memories are positive. I won three titles in Bern and played in the Champions League. Now I'm looking forward to my return."
