Another Swiss miss

Switzerland waited 28 years for their last appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals in 1994. Another lengthy exile now seems likely after a second successive failure to rejoin the world elite, in Korea/Japan.

Poor relations 
Fact is, this affluent nation has been among European football's poor relations since 1996, when the Swiss Football Association replaced coach Roy Hodgson with Artur Jorge. The Portuguese could not continue his predecessor's good work at EURO 96™, and after that tournament made way for Rolf Fringer whose team missed the boat for France 98.

Swiss slump
The Swiss slump was dramatic indeed: the team fell from third to 73rd in the FIFA world rankings between 1994 and '97. And on the evidence of recent qualifying bids, getting back there will be a test of Matterhorn proportions.

Playing catch-up 
French coach Gilbert Gress was in charge of Switzerland's attempt to reach EURO 2000™. But his side were playing catch-up from the moment Denmark snatched a late equaliser to draw 1-1 in Zurich. This left the Swiss with one point from their first two games - the other a heavy defeat in Italy.

Finished level with Danes 
Yet while the Italians were always in pole position, Switzerland challenged the Danes for second place in Group One and a play-off berth. They held the leaders 1-1 in Lausanne - "We had the chance to beat them," said Gress - before ending the campaign with 2-0 wins against Wales and Belarus. This was not enough, though. A 2-1 loss in Copenhagen, in September 1999, gave Denmark the edge in terms of the sides' head-to-head record when they finished level on 14 points.

Trossero appointed 
With Switzerland nudged into third position, Gress turned down a contract extension and his assistant, Hans-Peter Zaugg, was made caretaker manager. The latter oversaw a friendly draw with Germany before the Swiss FA appointed former FC Sion coach, the Argentine Enzo Trossero, on a permanent basis.

Lost to Russia 
Trossero's first act as coach was to name a squad full of foreign-based stars. But when goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler and strikers Stéphane Chapuisat and Kubilay Turkyilmaz dropped out through injury, Switzerland lost their opening 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier 1-0 at home to Russia.

Rearguard action
Results then picked up despite a backdrop of falling attendances in the Swiss first division and midfielder Ciriaco Sforza's limited chances at new club FC Bayern Munchen. Having dispatched the Faroe Islands 5-1, Switzerland drew 2-2 in Slovenia and 1-1 in Yugoslavia. Trossero was sent off in the Belgrade match, yet his determination was evident on the pitch as his players mounted a tough rearguard action.

Slip-up against Slovenia 
So when, the following week, they thrashed Luxembourg 5-1, second place in Group One appeared to be within their compass. However, all sense of direction was lost when the Swiss slipped up at home to Slovenia in June 2001. The 1-0 reverse left them third, six points behind leaders Russia and two behind the Slovenes with three games to go. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia in fourth were two behind with a game in hand.

‘All seems lost’ 
Trossero quit, saying: "I'm not the sort of person who stays to the end of a contract for financial reasons if all seems lost." His replacement? Ex-international Kobi Kuhn, the first Swiss to take the post since 1989. Kuhn soon created a stir by recommending a reduction of the 12-team Nationalliga A. Yet while he looked to breathe new life into the domestic league, he could not revive the nation's World Cup hopes. Trossero's worst fears were realised as Switzerland suffered 2-1 and 4-0 defeats by Yugoslavia and Russia to finish fourth in the section.

Bright spot
In fact, with the country ranked 63rd in the world in December 2001, the only bright spot was the performance of the Swiss Under-21s in qualifying for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Bernard Challandes' youngsters beat off competition from Russia, Yugoslavia and then Ukraine in the play-offs, and were rewarded with the news that Switzerland would host the tournament in summer 2002. So though disappointment stalks the seniors, at least the juniors have hinted at a rosier future.