Back to the Euro
Despite the French lesson, Swiss basketball has gained respect
Switzerland completed its euro on a heavy defeat against France on Saturday (111-37). The women’s national team found the continental scene after seventy-nine years.
AFP
- On Saturday, his third Euro match was that too much for Switzerland (defeat 111-37 against France).
- François Gomez transformed the team during the qualifying phase.
- The Federation aims for a new participation in 2027 and the organization of Euro 2029.
The legs and heads were too heavy this Saturday for the Swiss team. François Gomez’s basketball players finish the euro on a last salty note: a lesson received against the French (111-37). Even if this setback will be difficult to collect, this week in Athens will be a date.
An endless wait: seventy-nine years. This is the time it took for the team of Suisse feminine resurfaces on the continental scene. His return to the Euro, in Piraeus, in Greece, was not crowned with a qualification for the quarter -finals, but he will remain as a founding moment for Swiss basketball. For the first time since 1956, the Swiss qualified for one euro and sometimes stood up to the best nations on the continent. They have not only played: they existed, learned and, above all, gained respect.
The renewal embodied by François Gomez
This Renaissance, built in discretion and pitfalls, marks much more than a simple return. It opens a new page for Swiss women’s basketball, carried by a bold team, an inspiring coach and a determined generation to shake up the established order.
And yet, a few months ago, this qualification seemed out of reach. The qualifiers had started in chaos: two defeats in the first two games, in November 2023, and a thunderclap behind the scenes. The coach of the time, Hervé Coudray, was dismissed as a result of language deviations from a player. The atmosphere is heavy, the prospects not very encouraging.
François Gomez and team spirit
But everything changes with the arrival of a new coach: the Frenchman François Gomez, 64 years old. Charismatic, demanding, experienced, big mouth, fine strategist. He prints his brand. “From the first day, he said to us: I believe in you. We’re going to do it, “said” time “ The captain of the selection, the Vaudoise Evita Herminjard, left alone at the age of 13 years to train in France to continue her basketball dream.
And the reaction is immediate: the Swiss aligns four consecutive victories to conclude the qualification phase. Second of their group, they terrace Bosnia and Herzegovina in February in Aarau (87-39) in the last qualifying match. Elsewhere in Europe, the planets align: the other results are favorable to them, the miracle occurs.
Behind this monumental feat, many sacrifices. Only two weeks of preparation, in Portugal, a budget of 250,000 francs – half covered by a sponsor – and an almost artisanal organization. But a fierce desire to prove that Switzerland has its place. If some players are professional in Elfic Friborg or play abroad, others juggle between studies or work and basketball. Some even had to take unpaid leave to answer the national call. A remarkable involvement, carried by passion more than by means.
At the EuroBasket, the draw did not spare the Swiss, placed in an iron group with France (Olympic vice-champion), Turkey (undefeated in qualifications) and Greece, supported by its fervent audience. In Piraeus, they first bowed 87-65 against the host country, without demerit but by lacking consistency. Faced with Turkey then, they also fall (91-67), but deliver a committed match.
Promise of the future for basketball in Switzerland
This continental tournament is a baptism of fire, but also a promise for the future. This team suisse may exist. “We looked at such straight nations in the eyes. We can only be proud of the heart and state of mind of our players. What a learning for the future! Enthusiastic François Gomez was enthusiastic at the RTS microphone. We won respect, and it is important that the girls leave by knowing it. ”
For Erik Lehmann, manager of Swiss Basketball, this historic return to the European scene is a starting point, not a purpose: “This team will encourage many young girls in Switzerland to take an interest in basketball. The role of the Federation is to continue to organize the development of women’s basketball. The goal is to qualify again in 2027. Then we have some ambitions for 2029: perhaps candidate for the organization of the euro. ” The message is clear: Swiss basketball players are back on the European basketball card. And this time, they intend to stay there.
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