Switzerland Taking On Global Warming

By: chris | December 3rd, 2007

When you think of powerful footballing nations, Switzerland likely isn’t the first name to roll off your tongue. The Nati made a minor splash clearing the group stage hurdle last summer, but were ultimately shown the exit door by the Ukrainians in the very next phase. They have made the quarterfinals of the World Cup thrice, but the most recent event was the 1954 edition in, you guessed it, Switzerland. Since then they’ve qualified 3 times in a 52 year span. The farthest they’ve ever traveled down the European Championship road is the first round; both in the last decade, absent entirely for a 32 year stretch. Their domestic league, the Axpo Super League, is the 17th ranked league in the current standings of UEFA’s coefficients, coming just in behind powerhouse The Bulgarian A Professional League. All of this non-history, and yet the sport has seen a minor spike in recent times. The successes of the Nati have helped, as has Swissaustria 2008, but a new factor has come rolling in: global warming.

One of experts’ greatest examples of global warming* in Europe in recent times has been the Matterhorn, a staple of the Alps, which has been rapidly dissolving/evolving into a vastly different structure than it was as little as 15 years ago.This will have a lasting effect on all facets of the country known for its fabulous chocolates, knives, clocks and more fabulous chocolates. Swiss insurance agencies are bracing for more “floods, mudslides and storms” than they’ve seen in recent history. The words “disaster” and “devastation” seem to be synonymous with the country and the global warming issue throughout our beloved internet. However, it might make its mark in a positive way as well – on footy.

One of the sports which does come to mind when thinking about Switzerland (and Austria, of course, we’d never forget you, Hermann Maier) is skiing. Because there’s a lot of snow to cut through with your twin planks (among other, deeper, reasons). Well, as a result of global warming, that snow and ice which has blanketed the mountains for many years has begun to melt. And the more it melts, the more it directly affects the time people are able to ski. Less snow = less skiing. Less skiing = more time for other sports. Pretty simple. (And less time for other winter sports, of course.) And while there is little statistical in to back this, it all seems pretty logical and fairly well accepted by those in the know.

So as a result, the Swiss have taken to finding other sports to pass the time, and while football is still, according to Kobi Kuhn, the Swiss national coach, behind sailing and tennis, people are gravitating towards the beautiful game, and increasingly spreading the hopes of a country without much recent success on the slopes towards the pitch. As ex-president Adolf Ogi said:

“In the last few years we have only had failures. Now there is football.”

After a long period of dormancy, Switzerland has proven itself to be a name on the landscape of global football; maybe a new footballing nation is on the horizon. It could be that global warming is already bearing its early fruits. The young talent – Johan Djourou, Tranquillo Barnetta, Reto Ziegler, Philipp Senderos, and Johan Vonlathen to name a few – looks set to make Switzerland a factor at the very least over the few years, and perhaps the trend will continue enough to build a consistent team where success becomes commonplace.

So, while the effects of rising temperatures are certain to plague the ski hills for the next umpteen years, football in Switzerland is growing and may continue to for some time. Who knows, maybe a great athlete aiming towards being an alpine skier will change course and become football’s next great superstar.

* – There are obviously two camps of people on the global warming issue. Those that believe in the trends and those that believe Al Gore is a dolt. Or more accurately, those who believe Al Gore is a dolt and global warming is real, and those that believe he’s a dolt and it’s not real. Run with the global warming thing here.