World

Europe

Switzerland

Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

June 11th, 2008 | By: Jan | 21 Comments »

A rain more painful than the mocking storm of Basel falls all over Switzerland. From frantic expectation to a shocking disillusion the whole country is either in tears or lost in disbelief.

When a draw seemed to be too little for Switzerland but enough to keep hopes alive, Arda’s lucky shot ricocheted over that national hero of ours, the miracle-maker Muller who, like Frei, had recovered incredibly from a terrible injury.

Tonight the Swiss have realized how cruel football can be (as if the penalty shots against Ukraine had not been enough): the Goddess of Fortune has its own devotees and blindly hands out happiness to teams that often deserve the least.

Yet Switzerland was a young, enthusiastic and pleasant to watch. Furthermore, this was THE event in Switzerland. To be dismissed like this after deserving to win both games shows that whatever level Switzerland will ever reach, luck will never be on their side. Their history is a long tale of disappointment and mischievous dealings of fate.

Do you need any examples?
How about losing your best strikers, Frei and N’Kufo, the former after mere 40 minutes of his first game (not even enough to really warm up) and the latter even before the tournament itself, the same player who condemned Ajax to a UEFA Cup berth rather than a Champions’ League one?

How about having your coach whose mind and heart are set on the agony of his beloved, a woman he loves so much that he’s decided to stop coaching just to spend more time with her?

How about losing your first game to a team who takes one shot and is evidently helped by an amateur referee who willingly ignores two clear penalty calls? How about hitting a crossbar and having goalkeepers like Cech and Volkan who are more inspired than ever? How about making three mistakes in three games and having your opponents take their advantage from these three mere mistakes?

Switzerland should have been 6 points up but unfortunately some veterans of this game have learnt to accept its unusual rules and cruel decisions. A young and entertaining team, playing with a heart, bids farewell to the competition it cares most for. Perhaps weaker and less deserving teams will qualify but the Swiss will have to learn to accept this. Results DO NOT reflect the actual games.

And what if we start talking about the if’s?
What if the linesmen wouldn’t have called an absurd offside by Senderos? (He was kept in play by a Turk who was 2 METRES behind Volkan)
What if the referee whistles at every single foul you make and only at half of the ones you’re opponents make?
What if Vonlanthen’s unlucky shot against the Czechs had gone in?
What if the referee had actually given us two corners that were unfairly not given?
What would have happened had Frei not been injured?
What if your star player Barnetta seems to be lost?

Yet this is story full of what’s and if’s and I suppose what’s and if’s don’t give you a win you deserved.
I’ve been devoting to my blog and like Kuhn and Frei I don’t think I deserved this. I think you can understand my emotional state right now: I’ve never seen such an unlucky team. Perhaps we’re doomed to lose and I don’t feel like saying World Cup 2010 will go better (given that we qualify). I believe there should be more respect for us, especially from the referees.

I’ll keep on writing, that is obvious, but this blow is greater than the World Cup. Before that tournament, we played awfully and lost, now we play well, are punished by refs and thus still lose.

But then again, football is unfair.
Hop Suisse!

Tags: Euro 2008 SwissAustria

Switzerland World Cup RSS Feed

del.icio.us:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

digg:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

newsvine:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

reddit:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

fark:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

Y!:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

stumbleupon:Swiss Epilogue: A National Tragedy wrought by questionable Referees and Unbelievable Misfortune

Comments

By Eoin | June 11th, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Agree the Swiss deserved to qualify, and I was very disappointed when they got put out by Sweden, having had the majority of chances (even if pundits seemed to think Turkey’s style was prettier) but to say they will never have luck is pure rubbish. Firstly, luck obviously isn’t distributed with any specific bias! Secondly, the Swiss have played some might dreary football the last few years and with remarkable results. Most people in Ireland were dreading the Swiss games, because they are generally so dull to watch. They have had their fair share of luck the last few years, not least against us.

Posted from United Kingdom

By Jan | June 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Well I’m thinking about Ukraine 2006, Brazil friendly 2007 and this Euro. We haven’t had one spell of luck in all of these games. The game against the Czech Republic made me want to pull my hair honestly.

Even tonight, the Turks had two shots, two goals. How can it bounce off Muller? And how can Frei get injured?
The two players who gave everything to be there ending up with a fate like this? And Kuhn’s wife? I just can’t believe all of this.

Posted from Italy

By tomasz | June 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

I understand your feelings Jan, you’re a fan and fans react emotionally. So unlucky. It’s a shame because Swiss games were quite entertaining to watch, although you wouldn’t probably say that.

Posted from Poland

By Jan | June 11th, 2008 at 5:02 pm

No they were, tomasz. The defence was stunning, unfortunately only having one real striker who’s 19 doesnt really help in these games. Like all Swiss fans were proud of this team but 0 points is too harsh. 4 would have been fair, even 1 would have been enough to go to bed without this feeling.

Posted from Italy

By João | June 11th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

Absolutely awful that the Swiss didn’t make it, they were a lot better then 0 points. :\

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | June 11th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

I know. 0 points doesn’t reflect the effort that these lads put in there. Let’s hope they’ll be three on sunday and let’s hope Barnetta will wake up. Apart from all the misfortune and ref decisions we really really missed Barnetta.

Posted from Italy

By Phil | June 11th, 2008 at 5:24 pm

I know how you guys feel, awful, my sympathies. Spain in ‘98, France in ‘02, heartbreaking.

Posted from United States

By Jan | June 11th, 2008 at 5:31 pm

Thanks. I’m actually Dutch, just born in Switzerland, but I love this country and I love this team. Despite not having Ronaldo’s and Toni’s they play with devotion and spirit. Perhaps they’ll be rewarded some day.
That 92nd minute goal was such a heartbreak, I felt as if I could cry, especially because Muller didn’t deserve that.

Posted from Italy

By julien | June 11th, 2008 at 5:59 pm

Man that is sad for Switzerland.

Posted from United States

By musab | June 11th, 2008 at 6:12 pm

Questionable referees? Unlucky? Give me a break…

Posted from United States

By Jan | June 11th, 2008 at 6:17 pm

Julien: I know, it’s a terrible feeling.
Musab: How about playing the entire tournament without Kazim, Emre and Nihat? That’s what Switzerland had to do, no Nkufo, no Frei and no Margairaz. Did you watch the first game? It should have ended 1-1, if not 2-1 for Switzerland. And how about the referee tonight? Senderos offside? That OBVIOUS corner after Inler’s shot? Penalty for Switzerland when Magnin was pulled down? How about that dreadful foul on the Swiss player that deserved a red card? And what about the diving Turkish player with his extended hand who also tried to ask for a penalty? The ref whistled at every single Swiss foul yet half of the Turkish ones. After what happened with the Czech Rep. this is a bit too much to take, ok? Fine, we’re a small team but some respect would do.
Turkey played well, despite the absence of Emre, but a win is way too much, honestly. You had two shots on goal, two goals. And the second goal cannot be labelled anything but lucky, Benaglio would have saved it had it not been touched by Muller.

Posted from Italy

By Craig | June 11th, 2008 at 7:21 pm

I understand how you’re feeling but it reads a bit too much as a “woe is us woe woe woe”. I wouldn’t say you deserved to win both games by any means but two defeats was very harsh. I felt really sorry for Frei too, he is a good player.

Posted from Japan

By Arminius | June 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

Switzerland: think of World Cup 2010. We keep our fingers crossed.

Best wishes from Swiss-loving Gwemans!

Hopp Schwyz !

You havw had so much bad luck, so you necessarily deserve better next time.

Fiendly greets from Germanyx

By Arminius | June 11th, 2008 at 8:58 pm

P.S. Pardon ny spelling. Seems I’m somewhat tipsy – hick !

By Vin | June 12th, 2008 at 4:43 am

The swiss team could be better, but I think (and have thought for the past years) that Kuhn (who permanently stares like a depressed puppy) is not the coach to do it. Too bad it stopped raining last night, they handled the rain much better.

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | June 12th, 2008 at 4:58 am

Craig: I know that for a reader it can sound like that but preparing for two years for the greatest event in Swiss football history and being kicked out after 180 minutes having proved to be at the same level of more prestigious teams and having deserved a minimum of two points (but I believe 6 points wouldn’t have been a scandal at all) is very hard to take. The team didn’t deserve this.

Arminius: Thanks for your kind words, perhaps this young team will be ready for the World Cup.

Vin: I agree with you, I like Kuhn as a human being and his pain inside must be terrible these days but Hitzfeld will probably be a better choice. Let’s hope he will bring Vogel back. We need an experience midfielder.

Posted from Italy

By Rami | June 12th, 2008 at 5:48 am

Jan, I know what it is like to be so disappointed. I have to admit I was pulling for Turkey but your performance in this tournament so far definitely does not merit 0 points after two games. I know it’s not much of a consolation but you can take solace in the fact that people who understand footbal know that you guys played very well. The circumstances you mentioned (missing players, coache’s wife etc.) only make it that much more impressive. Your boys showed heart and in the end thats all you can ask for. This can be a cruel game and an unfair one as well but that’s why we love it so much. Keep your head up kid.

By julien | June 12th, 2008 at 6:42 am

“having proved to be at the same level of more prestigious teams”
Exactly Jan. Switzerland actually had a nice side: Volanthen, Frei, Lichtsteiner, Senderos, and the list goes on. I enjoyed watching them play. Is there any chance that they could get at least a point from their next match or are the players too devastated?

Posted from United States

By Jan | June 12th, 2008 at 7:07 am

Rami: I know and I think because of those circumstances they deserved to win. The whole tournament had become very emotional for the entire country.

Julien: The players are proud of themselves, despite being obviously devastated, and angry at their unlucky streak, they don’t want to bid farewell to Euro 2008 with 0 points. They know they could have easily had 6 if not more so they’re all ready to humble Portugal. They deserve this little satisfaction at least.

Posted from Italy

By richard | June 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am

Vin and julien are right, with exciting young players like Derdiyok, Inler, Behrami, Barnetta, and Senderos the Swiss have a bright future. all they need is a coach that will steer them away from the predictable Swiss football of the past.

Posted from United States

By BZ-Blog: EM » 5 um elf: Die Schweiz ist raus! | June 20th, 2008 at 7:03 am

[...] die lesenswerteste Ausrede [...]

Posted from Germany