Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

WORDS: IAN PARKER

THE COACH: SWITZERLAND Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin is likely to be a popular visitor to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on the back of a gesture three and a half years ago. Back in November 2021 Northern Ireland’s goalless draw with Italy was enough to see Yakin’s side qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup while the Italians went into the play-offs. To say thank you for Northern Ireland’s help, Yakin sent 9.3 kg of Swiss chocolate - to represent the 93 minutes Northern Ireland played without conceding against the European champions - to Irish FA headquarters. There was even a video of Yakin getting the package ready, with ‘Sweet Caroline’ playing in the background as he signed the thank-you note. The chocolate was in turn sent to a charity by the Irish FA. At the time Yakin (50) was just a few months into his reign as Switzerland boss, having been appointed in August 2021 to replace Vladimir Petkovic, who had just left for Bordeaux to end a seven-year spell in charge. Once in Qatar Yakin guided Switzerland to the last 16 although their campaign came to an abrupt end as they were beaten 6-1 by Portugal, finding themselves on the wrong end of a hat trick from Goncalo Ramos, who had started the game in place of Cristiano Ronaldo. The result would have hurt the central defender in Yakin, whose playing career included spells with Stuttgart and Fenerbahce, while he was capped 49 times by Switzerland. He spent the longest period with his hometown club of Basel, the city where he was born to Turkish parents. He won three league titles

with Basel, adding to two that came with Grasshoppers earlier in his career, and he was named the Super League player of the year in 2002. During the 2002-03 season Basel reached the Champions League group phase after a qualifying win over Celtic which Yakin called the “match of my life”. After moving into management, Yakin’s first major success came when he led Thun to promotion to the top flight in the 2009-10 season, and then a fifth-placed Super League finish the following campaign. Following a season with Luzern he returned to Basel as boss in 2012, guiding a side that included Yann Sommer, Fabian Schar and a young Mohamed Salah to the semi-finals of the Europa League, beating Tottenham along the way. The following season Yakin’s men beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea home and away during their Champions League campaign. Domestically there were back-to-back league titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14 as Yakin helped continue the run of success he had been part of Schauffhausen (twice), Grasshoppers and Sion before the national federation came calling. Yakin’s younger brother Hakan, who scored 20 goals in 87 appearances for Switzerland, succeeded him as coach of Schauffhausen when Murat became Switzerland boss in 2021. as a player less than a decade earlier. His career took him to Spartak Moscow,

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