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You still have a French mobile number… Are you passing through Switzerland?
(laughs) This is also due to the subscription options.
For the time being you are only committed to Servette Chênois for the second half of the season. Will you then go back to France or somewhere else?
I’m completely open. What I’ve learned: A bigger club doesn’t automatically mean that everything is better for you – football wise, but also mentally.
When you look at Servette Chênois – for example in the cup final won – do you think you see a very intact team?
That’s right, we got it right, on and off the field. We are a group of very different types, but we are well brought together.
Looking briefly at France, where you played for Paris FC, the championship there is about to be decided, with world-class teams Olympique Lyon and Paris St-Germain 16 and 13 points ahead of third-placed Paris FC . How do you experience it in sports when third place is the biggest emotion year after year?
You have to put that in perspective. I think the differences on the field got smaller. PSG have only drawn four of the other teams this year, including one against ‘us’. In women’s football, there are not as many easy matches for the top clubs as there used to be, because the level is generally getting higher.
Still, two teams play lonely for the title in France. In Switzerland, eight clubs managed to become national champions a few weeks before the end – thanks to the play-offs. How do you experience your first play-offs?
Ask me about the final if we are champions – or not! (laughs) If you’ve played in tournament mode all your life as a footballer, playoffs take some getting used to. There is a lot at stake here, including a place in the Champions League. But again: I have to play them first.
You were in Paris for three and a half years. What has changed for the better in the AXA Women’s Super League during this period?
Many more clubs have taken the initiative. There is more investment, more foreign players, generally better infrastructure. And what I said earlier about France also applies here: more clubs can play at the top. The result: in the past, even very good players had to combine football, a job and a study. Then there was no time for anything. The outlook has improved slightly.
The Swiss champions were recently represented in the Champions League. Probably also an important goal to professionalize women’s football here.
It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone involved. It’s a pity we only have one CL place in Switzerland.
Where is there still catching up to do in Swiss football?
I saw a picture of myself when I was 18 a few days ago. I scored three goals that day against another current AWSL club, just over a decade ago now. We were there again recently: the road from the same place to the same wardrobe still feels like a kilometer. Much remains to be done in terms of infrastructure.
Do you have more examples?
Always those artificial pitches… It would be nice if you could play an important match like a semi-final of the play-offs on a real pitch in a real stadium. Sure, that costs the club something. But women’s football is not becoming more lucrative because of the small-scale competitions. This offers fewer opportunities for advertisements, social media and many other things.
You explicitly joined Servette Chênois, not your regular club, FCZ. And you justified this to Blick by saying that more had been developed in Geneva. Are you confirmed in this opinion?
Anyway, I’m happy with my decision. However, I cannot give a final judgment on my comparison, I have not been to the FCZ for a trial session. Also: there are also personal reasons why I didn’t want to go all the way back to my home country. Geneva is a good middle ground between France and Zurich. In general, I think you should support clubs that are committed to a good cause. I like the club, I like the city.
With Servette Chênois you will compete against FC Zürich in the playoff final. Do you already have a pang of conscience?
No, there’s more anticipation. I love my old colleagues from Zurich and also meet them outside of football. But when he goes on the field, there is still a cassette in it. I want to win with my team – and I think we can. And it would be cool to get double that.
Your first match after returning to Switzerland was against Zurich…
I was substituted in the second half, yes. It was funny when all the opponents smiled and greeted you. That support is nice too.
One reason to move home is the World Cup in New Zealand in July and the goal of gaining match training. How excited is that?
The main thing is to show what you can do every day and in every game. Such a World Cup is of course in the back of your mind and is hard to ignore. I would like every player to participate in a World Cup. But the only way to get there is through daily work.
Source : Blick
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.
