Around 2,000 fans flocked to see the Nati train in Freienbach on Thursday morning, despite Switzerland being the first team eliminated from UEFA EURO 2008™ following their 2-1 defeat by Turkey on Wednesday.
Enthusiastic support
The Swiss players were afforded an enthusiastic welcome after suffering two narrow defeats in Group A. The crowd, mainly made up of schoolchildren, rose from their seats and chanted "Hopp Schwiiz" and "Schwiiiizer Nati" for some ten minutes when the team emerged from the dressing room. The players and coach Köbi Kuhn were visibly moved by the support shown and lined up to thank their fans while injured striker Alexander Frei was standing on the pitch on crutches, a symbol of the broken Swiss ambitions in this tournament. Although their team went out of UEFA EURO 2008™ due to a deflected shot by Turkey's Arda Turan in added time, the fans' passion has not been dampened.
Training demand
Switzerland are training at FC Freienbach's Chrummen Stadium, and president Beat Abegg has seen a boost for his club since their home was chosen by the Swiss Football Association some years ago. "The amount of youth players wanting to play here is so incredibly high that we had to set up a waiting list for new members," he said. Demand was also huge for tickets for public training sessions. "The Swiss are very passionate about football," added Abegg. "When we distributed the tickets for the public training sessions, they were gone in the shortest time." It seems the fans have a keen sense of the team's achievements during this tournament, as the reception for their fallen heroes was even more enthusiastic than in the first public training before the tournament started.
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