Wicky and Magnin duel: once Nati roommates, today opponents

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The champions on one side, the climbers on the other. At first glance, an unequal duel will take place in Wankdorf on Sunday. But the two coaches have more in common than meets the eye. YB coach Raphael Wicky (46) and Lausanne sports coach Ludovic Magnin (44) were roommates on the national team for a long time.

“I’m always happy when I see Raphi,” says Magnin before the start of the season. “We are good friends and have been through a lot together,” adds Romand. Since last summer he has been a coach in Switzerland again and led his home club Lausanne directly to promotion.

Housemates, table neighbours, good buddies

Wicky also appreciates the shared experiences: “We had wonderful times together that are unforgettable.” A look at the archive shows: There are photos of Wicky and Magnin celebrating the successful European Championship qualification in 2003 with a cigar. Or the snapshots of the dinner with the national team, where they sit next to each other at the table and joke with coach Köbi Kuhn (1943-2019).

“When we shared a room in the national team, Ludo let me use the TV remote control. But most of the time we talked,” recalls Wicky in 2018, when the two had already met twice as coaches in the Super League. At that time, Wicky was coaching FCB, Magnin FCZ. Both were her first destinations as a professional coach at the time. At U18 level, there were also some clashes with the same clubs.

«Against Lausanne instead of Ludo»

The duels in the professional field always ended clearly. In April 2018, Wicky first won 3-0 with FCB against FCZ, a month later Magnin took revenge with FCZ with a 4-1 win. And during the last meeting last fall in the cup, YB defeated the then Challenge League team Lausanne 5:1.

The clear results show that when Wicky and Magnin face each other, they don’t want one another. “I’m completely focused on my team,” says Wicky and immediately adds: “We’re playing against Lausanne – not against Ludo.” But before the game it’s usually nice to say hello to each other quickly. At least it should be in there.

Source : Blick