“Achtung, Gil!” “Ethan, presse-le!” “Giacomo, get back!”
A manager yelling instructions to his players from the touchline is a common sight in football. Doing so in three languages is an entirely different story.
For Luigi Pisino, head coach of Switzerland at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup™ however, addressing each of his players in their preferred language is all just part of the job.
“It’s quite a challenge when you first start, as you have to speak two or three different languages depending on the team, but you get used to it quickly,” he explains. “In Switzerland, most national coaches can express themselves in multiple languages.”
In fact, there are four official languages in the alpine nation: French, Swiss German, Italian and Romansh. When leading a team that reflects the country’s diverse cultural make-up, it is important to be able to adapt.
On the surface, this is a tough assignment. Serious mental agility is needed to transition from one language to another in order to make sure that every player understands the message as clearly as possible.
“The coach usually talks to me in Italian or English, but sometimes he breaks out the German,” explains Giacomo Koloto. “I don’t think there’s a language he doesn’t speak!”
Navigating this impressive tower of Babel requires the ability to switch between languages. This is hard enough for the adults on the coaching staff, but for the young men out on the pitch, it seems very challenging indeed.
“I remember when we first joined up at U-15 level. It wasn’t easy at all!” recalls Mladen Mijajlovic. “In a way, though, we’ve all grown up together. We’ve been playing as a team for three or four years, and now we understand each other like we’re brothers.”
“I’m bilingual myself – I speak German and French,” notes captain Gil Zufferey. “There are Italian speakers too, and lots of people speak English. Everyone speaks at least a bit of everything!”
“We’re used to it, so it’s not a problem,” adds Koloto. “In fact, I’d say it’s an advantage for us since we understand each other so well. We’re all fluent in football!”
Rather than creating divisions between each community of players, the squad’s diversity is a genuine benefit, both on and off the pitch.
“We’re a tightly-knit bunch. We have a lot of fun together during training and back at the hotel,” confirms Ethan Bruchez. “I think that we’ve managed to create a real family spirit here, and that’s helping us during the matches.”
“It gives you some idea of what we can do,” continues Zufferey. “It’s a mix of cultures. We’ve got French speakers, Swiss Germans… that’s where our strength lies.”
“It’s something that looks like an obstacle but, once you’re over the hump, it becomes an asset,” agrees the head coach. “It brings us closer together. Our bonds aren’t based solely on what we say, there’s also the emotional connection that it creates between all of us.”
This spirit extends to the pitch, where the players operate like a well-oiled machine, sweeping across the field with spectacular moves. A particular example of this was the second goal in their 3-1 win over Egypt in the Round of 32, where Mijajlovic completed a neat one-two with Adrien Llukes before pulling it back for Bruchez to finish.
“Adrien and I have a great understanding, which was how we were able to do that,” says Mijajlovic, recalling his assist. “My first instinct was to run through and shoot, but then I saw Ethan, so I set it up for him and he put it away! I’m delighted for him.”
“I was watching the move unfold as I was sprinting down the pitch and into the box, and I got the goal!” detailed the goalscorer. “It’s just the best feeling, and I’m ecstatic that I could help the team.”
Next up for Switzerland is a Round of 16 tie against the Republic of Ireland, who progressed through the previous round having won a tense penalty shootout against Canada by a score of 9-8 following a 1-1 draw.
“They’re a team we’re familiar with as we’ve played them plenty of times before,” said the coach. “We know that they have a very impressive system, with outstanding individual talents who know how to work together. This is exactly the sort of match that makes the World Cup special, and we can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.”
