In crisis, Swiss Football wants to play “Donald Trump”

Overtaken by players from abroad, young Swiss footballers do not have enough playing time in the Super League and Challenge League. This problem must be remedied for the good of the Nati, which is why the Swiss Football Association (ASF) is actively seeking solutions, with a leitmotif: “Switzerland First”.

Sebastien Wendel

Since mid-September, a subject has frequently come up around Swiss stadiums and it concerns the lack of playing time for young talents, both in the Super League and in the Challenge League. If the curve does not reverse, it will negatively impact the national team in a few years. In other words, regular participation in international tournaments is under threat.

Nothing has improved since the Swiss Football Association sounded the alarm two months ago. The playing time of the U21s is stagnating at a worrying level. We are talking about an average of 1,000 minutes per daywhich does not represent 10% of the total time.

The view on the Challenge League is particularly critical. Because since this year, supporting the next generation can bring big returns to clubs. Anyone who offers a total of 6,000 minutes over the season to U21s of Swiss nationality will receive 50,000 francs. An amount doubled if players reach 8,000 minutes. What remains in the kitty at the end of the financial year will finally be shared between all the teams having played the young people for at least 8,000 minutes.

However, this prospect of enrichment does not seem to affect the clubs. Or at least, it’s not lucrative enough. According to current predictions, only three teams out of ten (Nyon, Schaffhausen, Wil) will reach the 6,000 minute mark at the end of the season. However, this only represents 166 minutes per match, knowing that Swiss talents do not have to be starters.

A strategy to see again

By interviewing the managers of several Challenge League clubs, two observations stand out. On the one hand, the current M21 trophy, rewarding the teams most invested in training, should be transformed into an M23 trophy. Because anyone over the age of 21 remains young and can still join a high-level foreign championship via the Super Leagueand therefore potentially the ranks of the Nati. In fact, current practice contradicts the wish expressed by the ASF, which consists of leaving the door open to talents who reveal themselves late.

The league and the federation should also be frightened by the declarations of several leaders who affirm that they will call on more young people trained in Switzerland, depending on the progress of the season. Translation: it is only when everything is decided and there is no longer any sporting interest (guaranteed maintenance, no chance of moving up) that the teams will be interested in these players, in pure financial interest. Realists talk about the “performance principle”. Pessimists note the little credit given to the next generation, if even subsidies do not make it attractive.

Currently, only one Super League club (Lucerne) should reach the 6,000 minutes offered to young people. The first division championship plays a role in the global transfer market, the workforce is naturally international. But there are good reasons to encourage more talent. On this same transfer market, Swiss professionals are, for example, extremely in demand.

The fact that Swiss clubs, which invest millions in training, hardly offer space for their young people is difficult to understand from the outside. This is probably due to the low weight of those responsible for succession in the decision-making bodies of the clubs.

A race against the clock

There are therefore enough reasons to initiate a major change, and moreover quickly. Because yes, time is running out. A group made up of representatives of the federation and leagues, including those at the amateur level, has been working on this crisis for several weeks. Concrete proposals are expected for next spring, so that they can be introduced from the 2026/2027 season. Impossible to go any faster, the adaptations in the regulations must be approved in high places by the assemblies.

Patrick Bruggmann, Marc Hottiger, Jean-Claude Donzé and Pierluigi Tami on the ASF side, as well as David Degen, Sandro Burki and Silvano Lombardo for the clubs and the league, are therefore developing solutions and discussing possible developments, in relation close to their organ of origin. It now seems clear that the focus will be on the Challenge League. The challenge is to enlarge it without diluting its level.

It is more likely that financial prices will be changed, according to the divide: only those who promote “Swissness” will benefit from the money. Patrick Bruggmann, director of development at the ASF, says: “There probably won’t be more money. Above all, we must distribute it differently.”

The manager goes even further and mentions a system of fines: “Each club is free to compose its squad as it sees fit. But the Challenge League as a priority, as well as the Super League, must live up to the training centers. Those who prefer to bet on foreign players could contribute to the next generation in the form of financial support.. In practice, it could look like this: GC, whose American owners should not worry about the future of the Nati, will pay FC Lucerne a contribution for its efforts.

Allowing players from Swiss training to play more minutes is therefore the main concern of the ASF to date. However, the body intervenes here directly in the work of the clubs, which logically remain on the defensive. They want the federation to approach the succession crisis from another angle and wonder after all if the low time allocated is not simply due to the quality of the talents trained.

Patrick Bruggmann understands the doubts expressed by the clubs. He points out that training strategies are also being questioned within the Swiss Football Association. One of the main conclusions is that talent support between junior level and the professional world must be improved. An individual development plan is necessary for this. It is in this area that the federation wishes to support the clubs in the future.

The manager adds that it is essential that succession be organized for idealistic and not monetary reasons. The models to follow are found in Spain, with Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, who have relied for decades on local, and in the case of Bilbao, regional training.

The ASF has already considered a trip to Spain, to allow sports directors of Swiss professional clubs to understand the model developed by these two institutions, and to discover on site what is needed for there to be more “Swissness” in Super League and Challenge League.