Everything is in bliss in Lausanne, the Knie circus is calling
Swiss national team
Healthy, happy circus world in Lausanne
In western Switzerland, the national team’s ball artists are preparing for their next tasks – and visit the Knie circus on Wednesday evening.
The number one also does justice to the same. On this Wednesday morning, Yann Sommer is the first to enter the venerable Stade Olympique de la Pontaise for the training of the Swiss national team. Since Monday she has moved into the 5-star hotel “Royal Savoy” in Lausanne and is preparing for Saturday against Northern Ireland (in Geneva) and Tuesday in Lithuania. And for the third and last time before the two World Cup qualifying tasks, the practice unit is open to the public.
Murat Yakin follows on Sommer and before the rest, there is cheering from the stands and a wave of waves from his side. Later you can see the national coach giving instructions or observing what is happening during the quick two-hour exercise session. And how he stuffs holes on the lawn in his tracksuit, in which he stands there once soaking wet because it is raining heavily. Then the sun helps with drying. It also goes back and forth when it comes to creating excess numbers and executing opportunities – Switzerland had problems here recently.
The last time Switzerland was successful in French-speaking Switzerland
The national team wants to present itself in all parts of the country, it does not always succeed in a balanced rotation, which is also due to the class of the opponents. The last time the team will be in French-speaking Switzerland will be in Lausanne in autumn 2019 for a European Championship qualifier against Ireland. Back then, with a 2-0 win in Geneva, she was in a good position to take part in the finals.
Around 400 people are sitting in the main grandstand of the Pontaise, the spectator is even the one-time national player Vincent Rüfli, who now plays for Lausanne-Ouchy. But they are just children. THEY are never louder when the ball artists leave their arena after a day’s work and an autograph session occurs spontaneously: Armed with their own felt-tip pens, the masked Xherdan Shaqiri, Kevin Mbabu and Co. happily fulfill the screaming children’s wishes.
In the evening to the circus
Here in western Switzerland, where the national team has always had a good standing, everything looks a bit like a holy world that it gilds to preserve. “It is indeed perfect here, now it is up to us to win the next games,” says Mario Gavranovic. This world becomes funny and especially entertaining in the evening when the national team attends a performance by the Knie Circus. In the summer of the European Championship, visits to the Vatican and a winery in the Bündner Herrschaft were part of the team building and entertainment program – there is actually something to see in the knee: a few tricks.