Davide Callà has brought new energy to the national team. Murat Yakin's assistant coach stands for loyalty, social skills and empathy - and shines with his talent for languages.
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- Davide Callà has been Murat Yakin's assistant coach in the Swiss national team since March.
- "I'm really happy that Davide is here," said Yakin recently in the football talk show Heimspiel on blue Sport.
- As the link between the team and the head coach, Callà is also a "buddy type". The fact that he speaks several languages fluently is another major advantage.
When it was announced in December 2023 that Vincent Cavin was stepping down as assistant coach of the Swiss national team after nine years, it was clear to Murat Yakin that he wanted to bring a close confidant on board. Before Giorgio Contini, whom he knew from their time together at FC Luzern, was hired, Yakin also considered Davide Callà.
At the time, Callà was assistant coach at FC Basel, which was in crisis and bobbing around in the lower reaches of the Super League table. The ex-FCB professional did not want to or could not leave his club in this situation. However, he then expressed his interest to Yakin that he would be ready for the job as co-coach of the national team if it came up again.
As Contini wanted to return to work as head coach after the 2024 European Championship and was hired as YB coach in December, it was obvious that Callà would now be given the boot. However, he did not want to leave FCB in the middle of the season - and ended up working in a dual role for Basel and the national team from March.
It is proof of how important loyalty is to Davide Callà. And how important he was for FCB. He came to Basel with Alex Frei in 2022. Frei had to leave at some point, but Callà stayed. Just like Heiko Vogel, Timo Schultz, Vogel again and finally Fabio Celestini.
Callà as Salah's replacement
It was only when Murat Yakin came knocking for the second time that it was time for a new adventure. "I'm really happy that he's here," said Yakin recently in the football talk show Heimspiel on blue Sport.
They met in spring 2014, when Callà moved from FC Aarau to Basel, where Yakin was coach. "That was an interesting move. Mohamed Salah left us in the winter and we were looking for a replacement," recalls the national team coach.
He had been presented with professionals from South America, but because such a player would have needed months to acclimatize, Yakin preferred to bring in a winger who knew the Super League. "We needed someone for the width who would also accept his role. We had several experienced internationals in the Basel team at the time." Always putting himself at the service of the team - that was Callà's hallmark even as a player.
Linguistic talent and buddy type
Social skills and empathy are big plus points that the assistant coach brings to the national team - and by no means the only ones. "His great strength is that he speaks several languages fluently," says Yakin. Callà speaks German, Italian, French, Spanish and English. "His open and direct communication is also excellent. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which he joined us and was able to make his presence felt."
As the link between the team and the head coach, Callà is also a "buddy type" who knows exactly how to approach the players. "He also has a better sense of humor than I do," admits Yakin. A scene from the qualifying match against Slovenia, when the head coach offered his assistant his glasses, showed that the Yakin/Callà duo are not short on humor. "He mixed up two of our players and called the wrong player twice," laughs Yakin. "So I gave him my glasses."
The question remains as to how long Callà will "only" work as assistant coach. And whether he wouldn't be tempted to become head coach himself one day. He already has his A-diploma in the bag. He still has to register for the highest coaching diploma, the UEFA Pro License. But there's no rush, says Callà himself. He really enjoys his role as assistant coach.
