It was not until 30 minutes after the final whistle sounded at the Arena
de Sao Paulo that the door to Switzerland’s dressing room opened and
Ottmar Hitzfeld came out. He blew out his cheeks and stared fixedly
ahead, the magnitude of the occasion clearly weighing him down. And
while he dutifully fielded questions from television crews and
journalists, Hitzfeld had tears in his eyes and visibly had difficulty
speaking, pausing at regular intervals to swallow hard. It was perhaps
unsurprising, as the preceding days had been emotionally charged for one
of the greatest coaches the game has ever produced.
Angel
di Maria’s 118th-minute strike for Argentina not only spelled the
end of the line for Switzerland at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, it
also brought the curtain down on Hitzfeld’s coaching career. As if that
was not enough to stir up a tide of emotions in its own right, the
65-year-old also had to deal with the news that his brother, to whom he
had a very close relationship, passed away back home the night before
the game.
Yet Hitzfeld refused to let the grief that was etched on his face get
the better of him in Sao Paulo and sent out a side that very nearly
knocked Argentina and four-time FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel
Messi out of the competition.
The encounter itself was a memorable meeting that provided a fitting
swansong for Hitzfeld, who followed proceedings almost exclusively from
the front left corner of his coaching zone, only uncrossing his arms to
urge his side on with encouraging gestures. At the break during extra
time he could be seen chatting to his players and it almost seemed as if
he was divulging the secrets for breaking down the opposition. It would
have been no surprise if he had, as the Lorrach native is famed for his
meticulous preparation and tactical expertise.
“He’s a true perfectionist,” said Michel Pont, Hitzfeld’s assistant with
the Swiss national team for the last six years, in an interview with
FIFA.com.
“He’s such a big personality. He’s got a fantastic philosophy on life
and respect is the most important aspect in that. He gives his players
so much and they always say they’ve never experienced anything quite
like it.”
The players themselves concur. “He’s a wonderful person and we all
respect him a great deal,” Haris Seferovic told FIFA.com. “Even when he
names me as a substitute, I always remind myself that he knows what he’s
doing. We owe him so much. He brought about a big change and built the
team around us younger players.”
Fond memories
Indeed, any footballer to have played under
'Gottmar' (God-mar),
as he has been dubbed in the media, only has positive things to say
about him. “My coaching days are now over and I’m proud of what I’ve
achieved,” Hitzfeld said in his post-match press conference.
A glance at his CV reveals he has plenty of reason to be. He began
coaching immediately after hanging up his boots as a player in 1983 and
after spells at Zug, Aarau and Grasshoppers Zurich he went on to train
Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and, from 2008 onwards, Switzerland.
His bulging trophy cabinet houses, among others, two Swiss
championships, seven Bundesliga titles, two UEFA Champions League
winner’s medals as well as a pair of Intercontinental Cup triumphs.
Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed
and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.
“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told
FIFA.com,
before
Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” Hitzfeld took the reins of
the national side in 2008 and fashioned a new-look squad after big names
such as Alexander Frei stood down. The fact that Switzerland were even
in the Round of 16 at all says much about the quality of Hitzfeld’s
work.
Success was not the only trademark of his career, however: he is just as
well known for the full-length trench coat he would wear almost without
fail on the touchline. Pont has plenty of other fond memories of his
time working alongside the General, as he is affectionately called:
“There are so many special moments when I think back, but the thing that
stands out the most is that he would always write everything down. He
never worked with a lot of technology. He always had his little pen and
pad of paper on him and that’s where he would note everything down and
analyse it.”
Yet after downing his tools for the last time and
concluding countless post-match interviews, Hitzfeld slowly made his way
back to the changing room with tears welling in his eyes. That parting
image was symbolic of his departure from the game. Despite the various
setbacks he suffered in recent days, he left with his head held high.
Goodbye, Ottmar. All the best and take care.
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