Michel Pont will continue as Switzerland assistant coach after UEFA EURO 2008™, with his command of French being considered crucial for Köbi Kuhn's successor Ottmar Hitzfeld.
Language barrier
The 59-year-old Hitzfeld was officially unveiled as the man to lead Switzerland in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Monday, and said that Pont, who has been with the national team since 2001, will stay on after this summer's finals. "I would have liked to bring my assistant of many years, Michael Henke, with me to Switzerland," the FC Bayern München boss said. "But neither Michael nor I speak French. There's a lot of pressure when you speak to players before or during a match, so full understanding is key. After talking to Köbi Kuhn about this, it became clear that Michel Pont was the right man."
Initial contract
Hitzfeld has agreed an initial two-year contract with the Swiss Football Association (SFV-ASF) with a view to guiding Switzerland to the World Cup in South Africa. Hitzfeld came out of coaching retirement last season to resume control of Bayern and is hoping to steer the club to a Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Cup treble before leaving this summer. Jürgen Klinsmann will take his place. "I actually thought I'd ended my coaching career four years ago, but Bayern approached me and I accepted," he said. "And now the SFV came along and I've agreed to two more years. Who knows what might happen in 2010?"
Television work
The coach is well acquainted with Swiss football having played for FC Basel 1893, FC Lugano and FC Luzern and coached Grasshopper-Club to title glory in 1990 and 1991. While he is committed to his new post, Hitzfeld will also carry on working as a pundit on German television, saying: "I'll analyse ten to 15 UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga games a season. In doing that, I will discover new tactical details which will be useful in my job as national coach."
The 59-year-old Hitzfeld was officially unveiled as the man to lead Switzerland in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Monday, and said that Pont, who has been with the national team since 2001, will stay on after this summer's finals. "I would have liked to bring my assistant of many years, Michael Henke, with me to Switzerland," the FC Bayern München boss said. "But neither Michael nor I speak French. There's a lot of pressure when you speak to players before or during a match, so full understanding is key. After talking to Köbi Kuhn about this, it became clear that Michel Pont was the right man."
Initial contract
Hitzfeld has agreed an initial two-year contract with the Swiss Football Association (SFV-ASF) with a view to guiding Switzerland to the World Cup in South Africa. Hitzfeld came out of coaching retirement last season to resume control of Bayern and is hoping to steer the club to a Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Cup treble before leaving this summer. Jürgen Klinsmann will take his place. "I actually thought I'd ended my coaching career four years ago, but Bayern approached me and I accepted," he said. "And now the SFV came along and I've agreed to two more years. Who knows what might happen in 2010?"
Television work
The coach is well acquainted with Swiss football having played for FC Basel 1893, FC Lugano and FC Luzern and coached Grasshopper-Club to title glory in 1990 and 1991. While he is committed to his new post, Hitzfeld will also carry on working as a pundit on German television, saying: "I'll analyse ten to 15 UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga games a season. In doing that, I will discover new tactical details which will be useful in my job as national coach."
