Football coach Giorgio Contini candid: “That was my greatest personal defeat”

Now it’s autumn – is the situation still special or are you already scratching your coaching hooves?
The location remains special, I enjoy the days with my family. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss football.

What do you miss the most?
The daily work with the young players. To help them move forward, to understand them, to listen to them, to give them something to help them along the way. I’ve always liked that. I would also like to practice as a teacher. I recently had an assignment at a school.

Narrate.
The Boppartshof primary school in St. Gallen had problems with students from first to sixth grade during breaks. They would like to play football there, but there were always arguments and arguments. That’s why I was invited by school officials to a workshop. My job was to explain to the eighty or so students that there must be rules, that tolerance and respect are necessary to get along. That was an exciting task. The students are doing very well today.

They were paid by GC until the end of August. Have you started stamping since then?
I am registered and have no problem going to the employment office soon.

This means: There is currently no money coming in.
That’s the case, but I’m not too worried about it. Even as a player there were phases when I didn’t get money because the clubs were on the brink of bankruptcy – that was the case with Lucerne in the early 1990s and with Lausanne afterwards. In football you can’t panic.

Does the term ‘unemployed’ scare you?
No, I think my chances on the labor market are quite good.

That sounds relaxed: are there any offers on the table yet?
There was serious interest from top clubs from Morocco and Tunisia. But I’m not ready for that right now.

Why not?
I have achieved a lot as a coach in Swiss football, often making the most of difficult circumstances. But I haven’t won any titles yet. There are still many goals that I can and want to pursue here.

A foreign commitment would therefore be excluded?
Sure, but not necessarily an adventure. Germany is of course always interesting for Swiss coaches.

Saudi Arabia?
Not now, but that could become a problem in the medium term if I were to be without a job for a longer period of time and an offer came along.

No moral concerns?
No, but if you need the money because your existence is at stake, then that is an option. So why not?

Because there are human rights violations that footballers can also take a stand against.
I am aware that the ethical aspect is important. But I probably couldn’t change the situation in Saudi Arabia just by giving up.

What do you do to stay in the conversation?
For example, by giving this interview or occasionally making myself available as an expert on TV. But I believe that even without this appearance, the club bosses still know me and can judge my abilities.

more on the subject

“It’s a different world”

Fascinated Contini visits Ancelotti and Real Madrid

Because Bo Henriksen wants to leave

The FCZ is threatened by the WG scenario with Contini

Ex-GC coach without a club for the first time

What does Giorgio Contini actually do?

“Happy Bo” must be shaking

FCZ-Henriksen takes first place in the flying parade

Do you appear in the stadiums?
No, I haven’t even been to a stadium this season. But I watch a lot of football and at home I have a better view and more peace.

Hand on heart: Do you wish your coaching colleagues who are currently not doing so well from a sporting perspective that things will continue to go downhill, because then your own chances may increase?
No, I wouldn’t do that, because I know the other side too. As a coach I was already under pressure and had to read who was already in the starting blocks as successors. This is not pleasant at all.

But selfishness is part of the football world. You can’t just be nice.
I am aware of that. Naturally, you also look at the table and estimate whether and where a door could open. But I really don’t wish anything bad on any colleague.

Specifically: would you be interested in FC Basel? You hear that there has already been contact.
I can assure you that this is not true. There was no contact and of course a club like FC Basel is an attractive address for a coach. Also for me. But it’s not a problem at the moment.

What would your wish be?
I’ve been to several clubs now where there was chaos and it was difficult. And I was more of a crisis manager than anything. I would like a practice-oriented project where I can concentrate on my coaching tasks. A long-term project in which the trainer and his work are appreciated and there is a demand for his knowledge and experience.

That sounds like FC St. Gallen. You would fit in perfectly there. But you’ve been there before and it ended with the exemption.
I guess I was just there at the wrong time. It was always my goal to become an FCSG coach, but when I became one, the club was in a phase of change and turmoil – with three presidents in a very short time. I took over the team in the relegation zone, when I was released we were in third place.

The divorce clearly hurt her a lot.
Yes, April 24, 2018 was a stab in the heart. Definitely one of my biggest personal defeats to date.

Before you became a coach at GC, the FCZ was also under discussion. Do you later regret that things didn’t turn out differently?
I sat at the table with the Canepas, we had a nice conversation and I left the room with a good gut feeling. But in the end it didn’t work. But I don’t regret anything. I’ll stick to my path. The experiences that I could or should have gained at GC are valuable and have helped me move forward.

What does an average day look like for you right now?
When the daughters get up early in the morning, I am awake too. Then I go for a walk with the dog. Then I usually get on my bike. In the afternoon it is time to relax. Sports on TV in the evening.

Basic cooling? I don’t know this expression.
That means something like relaxing. That’s youth jargon.

You’ll be 50 in January and you’re not that young anymore.
Yes, yes, I feel young and fit, but the trend is clear: the old, wise coaching icons are becoming increasingly rare. Young people also find their way to the coaching bench. Being responsible for the national team at the age of 36, as Julian Nagelsmann is now in Germany, was completely unthinkable not so long ago.

Do you see yourself retiring as a coach at the age of 65 or is there a plan B that has nothing to do with football?
There is no concrete plan B. I think that if football doesn’t work out at some point, I have gained enough management and life experience to survive and find my place in the private sector. But I don’t want to think about that right now.

Super League 23/24

		team	SP	T.D	PT
	1	FC Zurich	11	13	23
	2	BSC Young Boys	10	11	21
	3	FC St. Gallen	10	6	18
	4	FC Lugano	9	3	15
	5	FC Lucerne	10	-1	15
	6	Yverdon Sports FC	10	-4	15
	7	Napkin FC	10	-2	13
	8th	FC Winterthur	10	-2	12
	9	FC Lausanne Sport	11	-4	11
	10	Grasshopper Club Zurich	10	-3	8th
	11	FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy	10	-9	8th
	12	FC Basel	9	-8th	5