From our special correspondent in Schönenwerd
Schönenwerd
Tours
The TVB is unbeatable when it comes to Italian, Polish or Russian volleyball. He knows a lot about it if we talk about the Greek, German, Belgian, Turkish, Bulgarian or Portuguese championships. He added the Netherlands to his European map three years ago, but Switzerland remains an unknown territory for the Touraine club. He has played in pre-season tournaments there in recent years, but has never played an official match there.
Coincidentally, three days before heading to Schönenwerd, the TVB crossed paths with a Swiss, in the person of Lars Migge, receiver-attacker from Narbonne. A godsend for us to learn a little more about this Swiss volleyball!
The Swiss championship
“Before, Lausanne, with money from the university, or Geneva, were important teams, and then Amriswil worked a lot to look for sponsors and today, it is the biggest budget. It must be around a million Swiss francs (and more or less euros). Two years ago, Schönenwerd caused a surprise by winning the championship, it was less of a surprise last year when they retained their title. »
League level
“In comparison with France, it is much less good. There are only three or four teams of an acceptable level, with decent salaries. The others are fighting to at best go to the play-offs. This is not good for the general level of our league… In Switzerland, there are too many more important sports, such as hockey and football, which come much further. It's difficult to exist. »
Schönenwerd
“For the Swiss level, it’s a good team. I lost the last two years to them in the final (with Amriswil) but the team has changed quite a few players since then. If Tours plays like they do against us, there will normally be no problem. »
8
Like the number of European Cups played by Schönenwerd since 2013-2014. He played in the Challenge Cup five times and the CEV Cup three times and reached, at best, the round of 16.
His ninth European campaign began in September, with Champions League qualifying where he came close to playing for a place in the group stage. Beaten at home 1-3 by Brasov, he won in Romania, but only in the tie-break.
A Touraine has already crossed paths with Schönenwerd: Leandro Aracaju who, with Rennes, won twice 3-0 in the round of 16 of the 2020 Challenge Cup.
A very Swiss team
“There are a lot of players from our selection (8 of the 14 players in the squad were from Euro 2023). The passer is a former member of the national team, he stopped after the Euro; Fischer, the libero, is also international, like Cyril Kolb with whom I have played since the youth selections, the centrals… In the Swiss league, the players change teams, but in the end, it is always the same ones that we found! (laughs) »
We will add to this portrait the presence of Ryan Coenen, American receiver-attacker, and Mahela, the Sri Lankan sharp present for the 3e season. The only two non-Swiss in a team otherwise coached by an Albanian-Polish duo, Adriatik Kajtazi and Patryk Gosztyla.
This Wednesday, November 13, at 7:30 p.m.
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