The SFV listens to every international commentary today

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The organizational chart of the Swiss Football Association (SFV) now lists ten jobs under ‘Corporate Communications’. These are divided among 13 employees. Plus an intern. And that in the small football country of Switzerland.

Professionalization in this area has been alarmingly fast in recent years. After the 2018 World Cup in Russia, she made a huge leap forward. She also had to keep up with the ever faster online world. The Swiss football players recently found out that there is always a lot of public excitement. The accusations of racism directed at SRF commentator Sascha Ruefer regarding Nati Captain Granit Xhaka send my regards.

At one time, however, the pace of media was about as slow as the stationary football of previous generations. “We didn’t have a press officer,” remembers one of the stars of the day, Georges Bregy. That only changed for the 1994 World Cup, when Switzerland finally qualified for a final round after a dry period of 28 years, but only TV man André Francioli was appointed for the tournament on a mandate basis.

Hodgson did what he wanted

Coach Roy Hodgson didn’t really care. He did what he wanted. The Englishman hermetically sealed off the team – more than players and journalists would have liked. Hodgson gave press conferences when he felt like it. And where he wanted. He ended up having to drape them around his golf games with goalkeeping coach Mike Kelly. It was only after this World Cup that Pierre Benoit (73) became the first full-time press officer. “There were two of us. A secretary, who only took care of the administrative side, and me, who was always alone in the field.”

The Nati commentator was then called Beni Thurnheer. “We had no idea what Beni was saying about the station,” says Benoit. “Someone said that in between. Not anymore.” What a contrast to today! Today, communications director Adrian Arnold and his assistant follow the senior national team every step of the way, supported by a photographer and a cameraman. An example: the photographer provides the players with photos no later than 15 minutes after the final whistle , which they can post on their social accounts.

“Murat is never afraid”

The national coach is also briefed during this period before he goes to the press conference. Arnold explains: “It is important that coaches and players know what to expect. We try to anticipate certain things.” To this end, the live commentaries were monitored in all three national languages. That is not Lex Ruefer at all, Arnold emphasizes. “We just want to know what was said. Just like we read newspapers and online portals.” Murat Yakin is not a coach who wants thousands of information. “Just the two or three main things that went over the airwaves. He often also wants to hear the opinion of director Pierluigi Tami or me beforehand,’ Arnold continues. As an experienced former TV journalist, he also anticipates other questions. For example, why the coach replaced a player who scored three goals. “But with Murat it’s very easy. He is relaxed, never afraid and transparent.”

In the documentary “The Pressure Game,” Arnold said the communications department’s goal was not to make headlines. Now he specifies: “We don’t want to deliver headlines that could have a negative impact on the team. For example, a player expressing negative emotions about a teammate. This can quickly lead to rifts in the team. On the other hand, we also like to read positive headlines and headlines that do not cause a stir internally.”

Xhaka drops out anyway

To be prepared for the interviews, the national players are coached. And early. “We regularly hold two- to four-hour media work training modules in the U15 to U21 national teams,” explains Arnold. And there are reminders of the beginning of important moves. A kind of mini World Cup. Main topic: social media. “The players are only allowed to post things they would say on stage in front of a hundred audience members,” Arnold explains.

Despite all the controls, sometimes emotional players like Granit Xhaka still hit it. In a free world, Big Brother can only act in a limited way. This also applies to live comments. To write. And even in documentaries, as we learned. And that’s a good thing.

Source : Blick

Emma

I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.