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“I was respected because I immigrated to New York alone,” Tatjana Haenni honestly admits. Therefore, she initially rented out her small apartment in Zurich, where the native of Bern had lived for 20 years. “I didn’t know what to expect here and how to settle in,” says the former football player and former director of Swiss women’s football.
As a long-time FIFA and Uefa official, he has become accustomed to other cultures and stays in one part of the world for weeks. “But I was never alone and didn’t know how to deal with it. I’m an outgoing person and I love being around my family and friends,” he said in an interview with Blick at one of the many sidewalk cafes in Jersey. It’s not far from his three-and-a-half-room flat, where he’s been living alone since January.
Living and working in two worlds in a cosmopolitan city
“My flat was a coincidence. I was able to take over the furnished flat from an acquaintance who is also in the football business and is returning to Europe.” Even during the inspection in December, when Haenni was able to inspect her new workplace and residence for the first time, she immediately felt at home. It was especially important for him to have a drawing room for his friends and relatives. “I’m always very happy when I have visitors from Switzerland,” says Haenni. She feels comfortable and has everything she needs, even if she lacks the personal touch in the apartment because she has not had time yet.
This includes a small Italian coffee machine. “She was supposed to come with me. I don’t like filter coffee. So I can make myself a nice cup of coffee.” The balcony overlooking the marina is an added plus. Here, in the hectic and noisy Manhattan, she likes to sit after work and enjoy the peace and quiet. “Manhattan and Jersey are like two worlds.”
In bustling Manhattan, reachable in 15 minutes by train or boat, the Swiss native has been working as the athletic director of the American professional women’s soccer league since January 2023. “Football is my life and my passion,” says Haenni, who played with the boys as a girl and later played for the Swiss national team. The reason he left Switzerland was also because of his love of football.
First meeting before the final match
Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final in England, the Swiss player met for the first time for a non-binding meeting with Jessica Berman, the NWSL boss of the now predominant US professional league. The honest Bern-born and then-employer informed the Swiss Football Association early that he had received a job request from the United States. “This was immediately noted. This made it even clearer to me that there is no alternative but my future in women’s soccer in the USA,” says Haenni.
They broke up on good terms and he still gets along with everyone. Haenni has accomplished a lot in Switzerland in her four years as the first director of women’s football. He is proud of it. “But there is still a lot to do for my successor. Switzerland has been years behind in the development of women’s football,” she says.
And then it gushes out of it. She raves about her highly motivated new employer who is constantly growing and running projects with her in New York, mentioning a US club that, for the first time in the world, built its own stadium for the women’s soccer team. She could not be stopped in her statements about her exchanges with other associations and about women’s football and its potential. “Hey, this is the USA with the most successful national team. The only professional league in women’s football that is self-funded and growing in popularity. How could I turn down such a job offer? It was a huge opportunity, and I can achieve more here,” says the peppy native of Bern about his career move.
disappointments and opportunities
Haenni’s career hasn’t always taken off. He learned how to deal with disappointments and defeats as a football player, but also when he was officially kicked out by Infantino in FIFA. “At that time, I thought the world was going to end. I am grateful for that today. I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said the ambitious Swiss.
Haenni calms down when she talks about her private life and her eight-year relationship. Before Haenni accepted his new challenge in the US, his wife broke up with him. “The reason for leaving was not work. I would love for us to live together in New York at some point,” she says. The distance, new assignments, and new environment would make the separation process easier for him. Haenni first had to learn to be alone without her family and friends. “At first I was a little melancholic at home alone in the evening. But meanwhile, I also like being by myself and even cooking for myself. Cooking was never my thing before.”
Short visits to your loved ones
In general, she thinks that it has changed her new life and helped her personal growth. For example, he visits museums alone, explores the city by bike or on foot, and joins the yacht club right on his doorstep. In addition to sailing, he rediscovered yoga and thus made new acquaintances outside of football. Tatjana Haenni: «I want to integrate myself here. But I separate a great deal of work and private life.”
Haenni is still on the road often professionally and her schedule is full. Still, she says: “I’ve never had this much time for myself. I have a dream job here and I’m happy.” He has appointments with associations or sponsors in the USA, continues to expand his network and attends league games. However, their schedule also includes European matches, such as the Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg in June. He doesn’t miss a short trip to Switzerland to visit family and friends.
two hearts in the chest
Haenni will currently follow the group stages of World Cup winners USA with the USA team in New Zealand, where the Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20, and before heading to Australia, where the final will be played in Sydney on August 20. .
“Of course, I would like to watch the Swiss women’s group matches in my new home and continue to follow Swiss football. I am Swiss at heart and I will pray for Switzerland at the World Cup.”
His commitment to Switzerland and women’s football becomes clearer with the words: “If I can help Swiss women’s football, SFV or in connection with Euro 2025, I will be happy to do so and be available remotely.”
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
