“We hugged each other”: YB boss Spycher explains the emotional Wicky-Out

Sebastian WendelFootball reporter

Blick: The fact that the leader fires the coach is in itself a contradiction. Why is YB actually doing this?
Christoph Spycher: First of all there are the results, we haven’t had three defeats in a row at YB for a long time. In addition, in the sporting management we always monitor the way in which we perform. And the last few games have shown a lack of energy. Especially during the painful cup-out in Sion, there was a lack of mentality and fire on the field. The exchange with Raphael Wicky was always intense and respectful, including on Sunday evening after the defeat against FCZ, when coach and sports director Steve von Bergen had a long conversation. On Monday morning, the three of us exchanged ideas and came to the conclusion that our views on how we wanted to get out of the difficult phase were too far apart.

What exactly does it mean?
This involves various issues, such as: What technical and tactical input is needed? Which speech? The team now needs maximum energy to get back on track. It’s a sad day for YB, and the separation is also very painful from a human perspective – for us just like Raphael.

More about the YB bang

After Wicky’s dismissal

Spycher and Von Bergen must also take credit for the crisis

Injuries, bankruptcies and problems

The Wicky Crash Log

Afraid in Bern

YB and Wicky go their separate ways!

You can also see it this way: the coach cannot do anything about Ulisses Garcia moving to Marseille this season, Loris Benito tore his cruciate ligament and Filip Ugrinic is out for weeks due to a broken toe. Three absolute key players have lost their places.
At YB we always see ourselves as a team. And it is clear that Raphael Wicky is certainly not the only one to blame for the current situation. But ultimately a change of coach offers the fastest opportunity to unleash new forces.

How did Wicky react to the exemption?
Like us, he has been in the business for a long time and knows what can happen in difficult times. The moments after the last conversation were very emotional; we all hugged each other. That was also the case when he said goodbye to the players in style. We have had an open and honest collaboration for 20 months, nothing is left behind between people. Even if the ending is unpleasant for everyone involved, we can always look each other in the eye in the future and look back on a successful time.

Does the coaching change reflect the fear of losing the championship title and the related qualification for the Champions League play-offs?
We remain committed to our goal: winning the championship. Yet we would do well to think in the short term now. And that means full focus on winning the next match against FC Basel. Now we as sporting management and the players have a duty to go back to basics and become more stable.

Now you can reveal: was the decision that Wicky had to leave before the summer at the latest a long time ago?
No not at all. A contract extension must be well substantiated, not a quick fix. The original plan was to sit down with Raphael Wicky this week and discuss which way things are going. Lately there has been a trend at the club that it probably won’t happen in the summer. And the last three games have taken things a step further.

With earlier clarity on the coaching issue, YB could have saved itself a lot of trouble.
I’ve never seen uncertainty as a problem. The sports director and the coach are the two most important employees of a football club; no sheet of paper fits between them. Although the exchange between Wicky and von Bergen was always open and honest, there were disagreements on some points. These were all solvable issues, but until they were discussed, an extension made no sense to either side. Moreover, a contract extension does not bring long-term certainty, as we saw with Adi Hütter and Gerry Seoane, who moved to the Bundesliga six months after signing. The crucial point is transparency, and that has always been the case between Raphael Wicky and us.

Joël Magnin takes over from Wicky. Is it definitely a temporary solution?
Yes, it has been clearly agreed with him and Gérard Castella, who participates as an assistant, that they will return to their traditional positions as U21 coach (Magnin) and head of training (Castella) in the summer.

Why an in-house solution? The last time they went with Matteo Vanetta in early 2022, after David Wagner was fired, things didn’t really improve.
What is needed now is a clear approach, a clear philosophy and knowledge of Swiss football: Joël combines all of this. We still have twelve games to go and we want to win the next one.

Is it impossible that the new coach will start during the current season?
Yes.

How many applications have arrived in your email inbox since the Wicky-Out was announced?
People have already contacted us in recent weeks, as soon as there is the slightest question mark about the coach. A few more have been added since then. But right now Steve and I are focusing on the team and the staff. We will start the search for a new trainer in the coming weeks.

It is said that Urs Fischer is not averse to coming to YB.
The rumor mill has a number of trainers on the verge of signing with YB in the coming weeks. As usual, we do not make any statements about names.

When researching the causes of the YB crisis, the term loss of quality comes up again and again. Is the team weaker than a year ago?
The YB team is constantly changing. Especially if we are successful nationally and internationally. After I became sporting director, Denis Zakaria was one of the first players we sold. Of course I would have liked to keep it for 15 years. But it is not realistic for YB to be able to meet the sporting and financial wishes of such calibers over an entire career. If key players leave us, those behind us must be ready to fill the gap as quickly as possible. Sometimes this works better, sometimes worse. But we will remain true to this philosophy in the future.

Super League 23/24

		team	SP	T.D	PT
	1	BSC Young Boys	26	27	51
	2	Napkin FC	26	16	50
	3	FC Zurich	26	11	42
	4	FC Lugano	26	7	40
	5	FC St. Gallen	26	5	40
	6	FC Lucerne	26	-3	37
	7	FC Winterthur	26	-4	37
	8th	FC Basel	26	-7	31
	9	Yverdon Sports FC	26	-19	30
	10	Grasshopper Club Zurich	26	-1	29
	11	FC Lausanne Sport	26	-5	29
	12	FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy	26	-27	16