“We were a group of friends, who were not afraid of anything. With this team, we lived through a crazy time…” – rts.ch

RTSsport.ch: Guillaume Katz, let’s start by talking about the greatest moment of your career…

GUILLAUME KATZ: So let’s talk about the European adventure with Lausanne-Sport (editor’s note: 2010/2011 season)when we were in the Challenge League. First there was the Homeric qualification on penalties in Moscow (editor’s note: against Lokomotiv)then the matches against Palermo, Sparta Prague, CSKA Moscow… For 6-8 months, with then promotion to the elite, it was very strong. It’s been a crazy time.

RTSsport.ch: You scored against the Czechs, at Pontaise…

GUILLAUME KATZ: Yes, from the head. I am also the last Lausanne scorer in the European Cup. I hope that changes quickly! But this success was not the best of this campaign. For me, that’s all there was around and in the team. We were a group of friends, who were afraid of nothing. There was incredible cohesion between the young Swiss in the squad and the other players, including the few Brazilians who played with us. We had come out of an average season in the Challenge League but had experienced a Cup final which allowed us to live this European dream. We were all in the same mood. We spent our time together, including outside of training. We went out, even to Prague or Moscow, but we did the work on the ground afterwards. We assumed, even if there were a few veterans, like Fabio Celestini, to remind us a couple of things (laughs).

RTSsport.ch: Now that there is a prescription, what was the biggest party during your “sporting life”?

GUILLAUME KATZ: There was an incredible evening back then, in Moscow, after our Europa League match against CSKA (editor’s note: lost 5-1 on December 2, 2010). Former YB player, Seydou Doumbia came to tell us that if we went out after the match, we could meet up at a certain place. We took his advice and ended up at a nightclub on Red Square. We actually showed up at the CSKA Christmas party. Each player had their translator, their driver. It was legendary, crazy!

RTSsport.ch: When in your career did you feel most alone?

GUILLAUME KATZ: When Marco Simone came to lead the LS (editor’s note: 2014/2015 season). With him, the current never passed. He took the armband off me, then pushed me back to the back of the bench. He also attacked me in the press… I felt useless. Our results were catastrophic and it was even harder for me, because Lausanne is my favorite club. I knew everyone and I saw it sink…

RTSsport.ch: And conversely, when did you feel the strongest?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Precisely during the Challenge League/Europa League period. We felt strong as a team, as a collective and, from there, I felt strong too. We could look everyone in the eye; the Wagner Loves, the Javier Pastore, the Fabrizio Miccoli, the Salvatore Sirigu, etc. We knew that even against them we weren’t going to be ridiculous.

RTSsport.ch: Of all the players you faced, who made the biggest impression on you?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Yassine Chikhaoui, FC Zurich (editor’s note: Arnaud Bühler told us the same). The guy was flying over the championship. Unfortunately, he was often injured. But honestly, he was so strong! There was also Mohamed Salah, of course, who was really impressive in terms of speed. From 5 meters, he was just unplayable. Afterwards, from there to imagine the trajectory that was his…

RTSsport.ch: Who do you think was your strongest or most underestimated teammate?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Pascal Feindouno (editor’s note: former player of the Girondins de Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne in particular, passed by Lausanne in 2013/2014). He was very technically gifted, very fair. In addition, he was a great act, a great atmosphere, an ideal guy in a locker room. Both the strongest and the craziest (laughs).

RTSsport.ch: You notably rubbed shoulders with Kwadwo Duah, Christian Fassnacht and Andi Zeqiri, who were unknown at the time…

GUILLAUME KATZ: Yes, and I noticed that Kwadwo had something extra. He played little in Winterthur, but in terms of explosiveness and given the power he gave off, we could not help but notice him. I also recommended it at the time in Lausanne. Fassnacht and David von Ballmoos were also with us. It was a really good time at “Winti”; we had a great, interesting team, but unfortunately we never obtained the expected results.

We were a flock of Waldensians against a flock of Genevans. We defended our clubs, the rivalry was enormous and, on the pitch, it was war. But between all of us, it never went beyond the green rectangle.

RTSsport.ch: Who was the nastiest opponent?

GUILLAUME KATZ: There were adversaries who could hurt, who wanted to hurt. I was aggressive, but in the good sense of the word, without intending to hurt the person opposite. Apparently, others were not of this opinion. I am thinking in particular of Ndiassé Ndiaye, who played at Servette (editor’s note: Vullnet Basha had dropped the same name). He clearly came to hurt his opponent…

RTSsport.ch: Matias Vitkieviez told us, at the beginning of 2023, that you had been his least friendly opponentbut you ended up becoming friends…

GUILLAUME KATZ: I had read that and I consider that “Mati” paid me a nice compliment. We often faced each other in Lake Geneva derbies which were hot. We were a flock of Waldensians against a flock of Genevans. We defended our clubs, the rivalry was enormous and, on the pitch, it was war. This is also what the supporters liked. But between all of us, it never went beyond the green rectangle. I think we have always been able to put things into perspective. With Vitkieviez, Tibert Pont and others, we now have fun seeing each other, talking.

RTSsport.ch: And which opponents gave you too many problems?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Apart from Chikhaoui and Salah, we must talk about the Alexander Frei/Marco Streller duo. When they were together in Basel, it was terrible. Not that it was impressive, but everything was so right; in deviations, ball catches, movements. Each time, it was a challenge to play against them… and it often ended badly.

RTSsport.ch: Which coach had the most impact on you?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Laurent Roussey. He promoted me to captain in Lausanne, when I was less than 20 years old. It was a huge mark of confidence, something very strong for me. I would also mention the excellent coach Fabio Celestini. In terms of pure football, he was the one who had the clearest and fairest ideas. You felt that everything was thought out, calculated, almost like basketball. He was ahead of everyone else. When he was our teammate, he was more than a relay for coach Martin Rueda, almost his assistant. It was hard not to see him as a future excellent bench man.

RTSsport.ch: Is there a career choice you regret?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Hapoel Tel-Aviv made me a very interesting offer. I had been to Israel. Except that between the time I boarded the plane and got there, the coach had been fired. His replacement immediately told me that he had no idea about the club, that he didn’t know me and that it would be complicated. I didn’t insist. But it would have been great to experience an adventure in a club with a big football culture.

RTSsport.ch: What story have you never told?

GUILLAUME KATZ: Something happened during the 2012/2013 season, the one where we fled to the Super League under Servette’s nose. Before the final international break, Laurent Roussey gives us 2 days off when we almost had to make 3 matches/9 points to save ourselves. I said to the group: “We don’t have to leave, we have to try something…“So we booked a sort of stable in the Vallée de Joux. Some were upset, because they would have preferred to spend 2 days with family or something, but we all left anyway. It was cold, there was no only one toilet for the whole workforce, we had to make food Initially I didn’t make any friends with my idea, but we had an incredible two days. We started by having a “fart”. together.

RTSsport.ch: Et?

GUILLAUME KATZ: And all that made the thing work. We discovered special bonds when there seemed to be a real split in the team. These two days created a click and we followed in particular with a victory in Lucerne with a goal from midfielder Nicolas Marazzi and an error from David Zibung, then we scored 3 at Servette. Everything went beautifully. Sometimes we talk about this weekend again. These moments, I believe, no longer happen today and I deplore it. The other day, Alain Nef (editor’s note: ex-Zurich player and former Swiss international) told me that football before was cooler. This is undoubtedly true. Today, there are GPS analyses, then social networks. So yes, it’s more professional than before, but I loved my time. We were certainly freer, but we assumed responsibility on the ground.

Arnaud Cerutti / Video subject: Jérémie Henriod