There was eager anticipation, the mood was boisterous, and sponsors of the Swiss Football Association, SFV, distributed thousands of flags and banners around St. Jakobs Park Stadium. The arena in Basle was a sea of red and white, the white Swiss cross on red was everywhere. The evening began as a splendid festival acting as a foretaste of things to come on June 7, the Saturday when the Swiss national team will open the UEFA EURO 2008™ against the Czech Republic. The downfall was sudden and brutal.

The hopes of triggering a new euphoria for UEFA EURO 2008™, after a crisis ridden 2007, were destroyed by the 4-0 (1-0) defeat by Germany. The mood in Swiss football after the fiasco of this highest defeat at home since 1984 was similar to that experienced by Germany after the 3-1 loss to Italy in March 2006.

The anticipation for the future campaign did not continue to roll, with the Swiss, including national coach Koebi Kuhn, doubting that their team that had made it into the knock-out stage at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ can advance through the UEFA EURO group matches against the Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey. “Our opponents dominated us in almost every area. There is nothing to be happy about. We were really a bit amateurish”, Kuhn said. The 64-year-old had no answers to questions asking for reasons. The national coach, who will be succeeded by Ottmar Hitzfeld after the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008, seemed as helpless as his team had performed, particularly in the second half.

Kuhn, who had boldly announced his team would be striving for the European title after Austria and Switzerland had been awarded the UEFA EURO 2008™, did not try to find excuses. Like the Austrians in February, his young team, handicapped by the absence of experienced key players due to injury (Mueller, Magnin, Streller) or lack of fitness after long injury breaks (Frei), had failed because of the cleverness and physical superiority of the Germans who showed strong counter attacks. “The score was a bit harsh, we didn’t deserve that”, Tranquillo Barnetta said.

“Until 2-0 we played quite well, and we had a few opportunities”, the midfielder with Bayer Leverkusen explained. He, of all players, who previously had been in a good form, made a glaring mistake before the second German goal, as did goalkeeper Diego Benaglio from Wolfsburg before the first. “We shall not give up now and will present ourselves totally differently at the UEFA EURO”, Barnetta added. The Swiss are certainly capable of improving, but the stark defeat at the Basle Stadium which they hoped could become their fortress during UEFA EURO 2008™, hurt the Swiss deeply.

The Germans are always special opponents for Swiss footballers, who tend to respectfully freeze when facing the kickers from their large neighbours to the north. Defeats are somewhat normal; it was the 16th in the 18th match since their last victory in 1956. But this defeat set off disillusionment, because there are now many question marks following a series of defeats, 1-0 by the USA, 1-0 by Nigeria and 2-1 in England. The match was considered to be the lowest point since the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, when the Swiss lost a penalty shoot-out to the Ukraine in Cologne without dispatching a single ball into the net. “A 4-0 defeat by Germany, no discussions about the outcome of the match, more and more question marks, numerous areas to be improved, helplessness and finally the exposure”, wrote the nationwide newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Mockingly and a bit ambiguous the German fans chanted: “You are only cheese suppliers.” The renowned Zurich newspaper “Tagesanzeiger” summarised, despite retaining some hope: “But all who saw the Swiss yesterday, will be worried about this 7th of June and the European Championship.” Joachim Loew gave some consolation. The Swiss could play much better. The German national coach knows that a team can get out of a low in March by the start of a tournament in June.

The SFV team will play another two friendly matches before the UEFA European Football Championship™. Slovakia will be the opponents in Lugano on May 24, followed by Liechtenstein in St. Gallen on May 30. Kuhn has not much time left to strengthen his team. After the defeat by Germany the media strongly criticised him for once again changing the system. In attack Kuhn put Eren Derdiyok (2 caps/19 years old), and not Blaise Nkufo (15/32), alongside Alexander Frei (57/28), who made his first appearance for a year. In midfield, Barnetta (32/22), previously mostly playing on the left, had to play in central midfield behind the two strikers.

The midfield was very young with Valon Behrami (14/22), Gelson Fernandes (6/21) and Goekhan Inler (15/23), all inexperienced apart from Barnetta. And the defence with Stephan Lichtsteiner (9/23), Philippe Senderos (26/23), Mario Eggimann (5/27) and Christoph Spycher (38/29) had never played together in that formation. The Swiss showed a very solid performance in the first half, but the physically superior Germans used Benaglio’s first mistake to take the lead through Miroslav Klose. And in the second half the Germans took the Swiss defence apart three times, with two goals from Mario Gomez and one from Lukas Podolski, and had even more opportunities to score. Kuhn made six substitutions in the second half, but they failed to stabilise the Swiss team. “A national team to cry about. We are not fit for the European Championship”, read the headline in the yellow paper “Blick”.