YB coach in an interview – Rafael Wiki: “I don’t know myself through football” – News

Valais wants to be a champion with the Young Boys. But how does former Nati player Rafael Wiki act as a person?

Vallis Rafael Wiki should lead the Bernese Young Boys back to the path of victory after a poor season. But how does the 45-year-old act as a person? In his first major interview since taking office in mid-June, the former national team player said what was more important to him than football and why he was half Bernie since birth.

SRF News: Will you lead YB to the championship title again?
Raphael Wiki: That’s certainly our ambition. But YB finished third last season. So we are not entering the new season as candidates. However, as a coach, I naturally came to Young Boys to be on top.

Caption:

He wants to get to the top with YB: Raphael Wicky at the training camp in Gstaad.

SRF / Marielle Gijax

You were fired from your last coaching position at FC Basel and Chicago Fire. If you don’t succeed in YB, it will be a severe blow to your coaching career. How do you deal with pressure?
I don’t think negatively, that’s not how I work. I think very positively – and of course I know working as a YB coach is a huge challenge. I have been a professional football player and coach for nearly 30 years and am very familiar with the field.

Stress has always been a part of it. What I can do is do my best every day, work hard and go to training with good energy. Despite the layoffs, I see commitments in Basel and Chicago defeats. I learned a lot and filled my bag with experiences.

The social environment is the most important thing for me.

You are considered an intelligent communicator and have a good instinct. Can you really knock on the table in the dressing room?
Yes, I can. I have no problem saying anything to the player. And to be louder if necessary. But it’s not a good idea to always be noisy as a coach. Then at some point the players stop listening to you.

After your adventure in the US, you spent several months in your home village of Steg (VS). How important is your environment to you?
I have a close relationship with my parents and sisters. I can count on colleagues I have known and respected for decades. The social environment is there for me, in victories and defeats. to success and failure. This is the most important thing for me and also helps me in difficult moments in my career. As a player, I didn’t define myself through football either. I attach great importance to that, even now as a coach.

Your roots are very important to you. Although: You are actually a “half of the Valais” because your mother comes from Bernese Seeland.
That’s right, my grandparents lived in Savnern near Bell. I was visiting them there when they were alive, and I know the area very well. But my mother lived in Valais for a long time, although her accent still had a Bernese German influence.

You also have a close relationship with the United States. Your wife is American, I’ve lived in Venice Beach for a long time. Is it a second home for you?
I really love Southern California, so I bought a house there. Because of its mild climate, it is one of the most wonderful places to live. But my homeland, my roots, will always remain in Switzerland and especially in Valais. But Los Angeles is a second home for me.

The conversation was conducted by Marielle Gijax.

Caption:

Wicky has been on the football field for 30 years. First as a player, since June as coach of the Bernese Young Boys.

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