First there was hope, then resignation and finally liberation. At the end of an incredible reversal of the situation and an unbearable penalty shootout ended at the end of the night (3-3, 5-4 tab), Switzerland offered France, the reigning world champion , Monday during the round of 16 of the Euro. Renowned for the beauty and calm of its landscapes, the security and secrecy of its bank accounts, the calmness of its inhabitants and its sweetness of life, Switzerland has been intoxicated like never before. There is not yet a fire in the lake, but this spark has ignited a whole country. RTS, the French-speaking TV, smashed audience records with a market share of 73.4% for the evening.
“Even when Switzerland reached the final of the World Ice Hockey in 2018, which is nevertheless a major sport here, there was not the same enthusiasm,” says Claude Ansumoz, editor-in-chief of the 24heures site.
We have seen the universal side of football.
Usually it is the supporters of foreign communities like the Portuguese or the Spaniards that we hear, this time all of Switzerland took to the streets to celebrate this qualification.
There were celebrations until 2 or 3 a.m.
The events that unite the country are very rare.
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😥👉😆
𝗔𝗟𝗟 the emotions in just 1 minute!
# EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/UYDYDUyi5l
- UEFA EURO 2020 (@ EURO2020) June 28, 2021
As rare as this qualification. The Nati - nickname of the selection - had in fact not reached the quarter-finals of an international competition since the 1954 World Cup organized ... at home. Until now the Helvetians vibrated especially for sporting exploits on the ski slopes or on the tennis courts with Martina Hingis and his Majesty Roger Federer. "Although it is the most popular sport in the country, football has never yet managed to perform well on the world stage," explains Lionel Pittet, journalist at Le Temps, a French-language daily. Since 2014 the team always stopped in the round of 16. We all thought it was our glass ceiling, that it would be the case when we saw that it was against France. The population was fatalistic especially after the card against Italy (3-0 defeat).The idea was just to come out with your head held high, not to have any regrets. But we feel that something special has happened. In addition, we beat France. For the German part of Switzerland we beat the World champion but for the French speakers we beat the big brother. "
“He's the big brother we admire but who doesn't know us, who doesn't respect us,” continues Ansumoz. We are only seen through clichés around tax haven, but it is more complex. "
Divided into four cultural and linguistic regions - German, French, Italian and Romansh - the Swiss confederation is, in proportion, one of the countries with the highest share of inhabitants with an immigrant background. important.
After the Balkan war, the country took in many refugees.
The children of this immigration now form the basis of the Nati.
A sort of Balkan-Blanc-Beur reminiscent of the French Black-Blanc-Beur in 1998. “A lot of players come from this immigrant population which was at the bottom of the social scale,” Pittet indicates.
Football has served as a social lift for these families as for Shaqiri for example.
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Scenes of jubilation told by @JulienChiffelle # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/KJbBUkFaVQ
- RTS 7:30 p.m. (@ 7:30 p.m.RTS) June 30, 2021
The Liverpool midfielder, of Albanian origin and whose mother was a cleaner, is therefore a reflection of this melting pot selection. A broth of culture and talent that paved the way by winning, in 2009, the title at the World Under-17 in Nigeria with Rodriguez, Seferovic (author of a double against France) and Xhaka (who will be suspended against Spain). Led for 7 years by Vladimir Petkovic, the Swiss team grows with each competition and begins to believe in the feat against Spain this Friday.
"The coach has been able to get the best out of the players," says Lionel Pittet, who has followed the selection since the start of the Euro. We no longer play as a small team, defending, but we practice our own game. Before we were fatalists, we had never won anything, we were a small football country or, for the most optimistic, not a great nation football, but since Monday it has been shattered. "" This match was a click, says Claude Ansumoz. Before at 3-1 we would have given up and lost 5-1. There are often surprises at the Euro, there was Denmark in 1992, Greece in 2004. We say to ourselves that it may be our turn, that anything is possible with a misunderstanding. »Start of response in a few hours.
