It was a cold February day in 2002 when I met you at the Zurich airport. Then you were one of the leading figures of the legendary and successful U21 team. Titans.
We took a photo shoot in an abandoned steel plant in the industrial area of Zurich. It must have looked militant. You put on my old motorcycle leather coat and took on a grim titan look.
Even then, you could feel your passion and ambition. The national team, the top league in Europe, you followed this.
You weren’t a sprinter, you weren’t a thug monster, you weren’t a man with very thin legs.
But a volcano that spit not only saliva, but also fire. Who scratched, bit and, thanks to his ingenuity, scored goals in a running meter. An amazing career that more talented players than you can only dream of. Because they do not have your will and your ambitions.
You have always been polarized, wearing your heart on your sleeve. You have been erased and misunderstood. Did you pay for tuition?
But you have learned. I learned that with radicalism one cannot approach the career of an official. That as a sports director or coach, you can’t bang your head against a wall. Business makes everyone a little humble.
“Free as an FCB coach goes down in history when the first snow falls,” said this column a few months ago. I know not very friendly. I like the Fry family. Your uncle Martin was my favorite player at FC Wettingen in the 80s. He lived in a small house in the forest. Different from others. Stubborn. How are you.
However, in the home match against Slovan Bratislava a few days ago, it became clear to me again that the FCB is probably a mission impossible for you in this construction. Philippe Degen, the players’ agent and twin brother of the struggling president, is sitting in the TV studio. He criticizes your tactics and undermines your credibility.
It is maintained by Patrick Framework. Who, being the permanent coach of the U21 team, also gives his mustard for his performance in Basel. He, who failed as an FCB coach, now says how it should be done. National coach as TV expert.
Really now? What is really a scandal from the FCB’s point of view and from the association’s point of view is only acknowledged with a shrug of the shoulders. At your expense, Alex. Imagine if Dieter Hoeness criticized the work of Ottmar Hitzfeld in the TV studio. The then president of Bayern, Uli, would have put his brother Dieter through a meat grinder. And he made a Nuremberg Rostbratwurst out of it.
Something similar is possible in FCB.
That’s why, dear Alex: it’s getting cold in Basel. Snow will soon be in the air. You must wear warm clothes.
If you want me to bring you my old leather coat: just give me a call.