Avdullahu's change of nationality: "Such cases must remain the exception," says the new association president Peter Knäbel

Swiss football fans are eagerly awaiting the World Cup qualifiers. How do you, as president, experience the anticipation?

Intense. Participating in the 2026 World Cup is a big, ambitious, but also achievable goal, one we approach with respect and humility. The anticipation is immense, and I personally am experiencing football in a new role.

With six matches in three months, World Cup qualifying is shorter than ever. A disadvantage?

It almost feels like the international competitions in club football. The margin for error is small. That makes it all the more important that we get off to a great start with our two home games.

The preseason got off to a poor start: Coach Murat Yakin wanted to field Leon Avdullahu, but Avdullahu declined and opted to play for Kosovo. A defeat?

There's no question that we would have preferred a different outcome. At the national coaches' season-opening event on my third day of work, I was informed of the status quo in the matter. I knew Avdullahu from watching FC Basel matches and had already inquired internally about the significance of the photo with the player and the Kosovo president.

And what did you conclude from this?

I asked what we'd done so far. The chain of information and the course of the discussions made sense to me. But together we came to the conclusion that we needed to pick up the pace, and I traveled to Hoffenheim with Murat Yakin and assistant coach Davide Callà for a personal meeting with the player.

Whenever a speed increase was needed, those responsible were asleep beforehand – for example, Yakin and Pierluigi Tami, the director of the national teams. Did they do their job?

We will and must thoroughly examine this story and draw our conclusions from it. Tami, Yakin, and others in the association have done their job in a way that has led to success in fifteen previous cases. What we also have to address, however, is the commitment of the Kosovars, their tireless and honest advocacy for the player. There's no automatic choice for us. What's very important to me on this issue: It was, is, and always will be a young person's very personal, very individual decision as to which association they play for. I have always respected that, and it will remain so.

As president, will you continue to micromanage like you did with Avdullahu?

This was a joint, well-founded, and understandable decision, one that everyone directly involved felt comfortable with. With my presence as President—unfortunately, too late, as it turned out—we signaled to the player and his entourage the same respect as the other side. It goes without saying that such cases must remain the exception for me as President.

How close do you want to be to the national team?

The question arises automatically because of my biography. Let me reiterate that I am no longer the sporting director, no longer the board member for sport, or no longer the technical director, but the president of the SFV. This role must be lived up to in all its facets.

The national coach is your most important employee. Yakin's contract will expire if Switzerland misses the World Cup. Is he likely to stay if they fail to qualify?

We're approaching the qualification campaign with a lot of positivity and momentum. We know our quality. We need to fully demonstrate it in all six matches. Then we'll qualify for the World Cup. That's the only thing I'm focusing on at this point.

We accept your answer. Basically: How do you want to interpret your role as president? Your predecessor, Dominique Blanc, operated more in the background.

It's your perception that Blanc was in the background. The responsibilities within the association are clearly structured and distributed. A president should be recognizable and able to act. Here, it's important to find the right balance between natural proximity and distance.

Starting with the national team – what areas of improvement have you already identified?

The top priority right now is World Cup qualification. Our minds and focus must be sharpened for the next three months, specifically the next six matches. However, you can rest assured that I will be looking at everything in great detail and assessing everything. I know a lot from my previous work at the association, but some things are also new.

After all, important personnel and structural issues are pending. Are you putting that aside?

No. But they're not urgent at the moment. I assume you want to discuss Pierluigi Tami's successor as national team director? Or whether Pia Sundhage will continue as women's coach?

For example, Sundhage is preparing for World Cup qualifiers this fall, but her contract ends at the end of the year. A similar situation would be unimaginable for the men's team. Should Sundhage stay?

Pia Sundhage has informed us that she would like to continue if her assistants also receive contracts. There will be two mergers, and with Pia, we have the necessary time to find the best, future-oriented solution for the SFV. Marion Daube and Johan Djourou are also conducting a comprehensive European Championship analysis.

Who will succeed the national team director? Pierluigi Tami has long announced his resignation next summer. Is he already a "lame duck"?

Tami will reach the regular retirement age this summer, simple as that. Pierluigi is the first professional national team director in the association; I don't need to list his successes with the senior national team. The structures and personnel on the staffs are excellent, even by international standards. We will be prepared for the transition.

Are there any considerations to combine the appointment of a new director with structural changes?

Structural changes within the association require a longer lead time. Considering, for example, the increased importance of women's football, we could consider how structural changes could optimize our core mission of developing the best possible players, including female players.

During the election campaign, you said that young people were suffering and that thirty years of development work was at risk. Now you have the responsibility to change this. What are you doing?

I never tire of repeating this very thing and stating it clearly: Let the young players play, give them playing time! This applies from A to Z, from the first teams to the amateurs. The youth and junior divisions are huge, and the professional clubs' investments in their youth departments are high in relation to their overall budgets. The young talents must find their way to the top. It's about a cultural shift, being bold and using young players more often. This is my message, which I repeatedly convey and demand for our entire football system.

These are words. What are the actions?

We're working hard to evaluate and develop new ideas, especially with regard to their feasibility. The transition to the professional level is crucial. Every weekend, I monitor the playing time of the young players—we need to increase these numbers together. We can do so much right and great work at the foundation of their training, but if we don't implement it at the top level during the transition to the professional level, then all the work beforehand will have been in vain.

Again: How do you intend to implement these wonderful plans?

There are different interests, which is perfectly normal and legitimate. Between the departments, the professionals, and the first division, for example. The interests of the professional clubs also differ. What's needed here is a clear, implementable consensus for the future of our football. And a well-developed, implementable package that produces more players for the national teams. We can't afford to come up with half-baked ideas; otherwise, the whole issue will be resolved in one fell swoop. It will only work with well-founded proposals that will have a fundamental and lasting positive impact on the transition area.

An article from the « NZZ am Sonntag »