It was the Swiss site Blick that, with a week left until the European Championship, came up with the information that there is internal dissatisfaction with the national team captain Pia Sundhage within the Swiss national team.
It is said to be about Sundhage pressing players with injury concerns too hard in training. She is also said to have meant that players who miss training and matches reduce their chances of playing in the European Championship, even if the team's medical team has advised against playing.
It's not a nice rumor, but it's a rumor. We talk every day and I think we're doing a good job so far, said Sundhage in response to the claim according to Blick.
Lost to boys' team
A few days later, the Swiss national team lost to Luzern's U15 team with a whole 1–7 – something that began to spread on social media and made several people raise an eyebrow.
Sundhage and the players pointed out that the result did not matter, but that they wanted to practice their playing principles.
The guys were a bit faster. But matches like these are good for training the condition, said Sundhage.
Sundhage has previously been the national team captain for Sweden, the USA, and Brazil.
She has, among other things, led the USA to two Olympic Games gold medals and Sweden to a European Championship bronze.
Participated in the first European Championship
But none of the championships compare to the upcoming one.
I would say that it is the biggest challenge I have ever had. It's really, really interesting, says Sundhage according to AP.
The 65-year-old has also got a lot of merits from her player career. One of the biggest is when she led Sweden to victory in the first European Championship for women in 1984.
Women's football was in a completely different place at that time compared to now.
"Completely unique"
After the victory, Sweden's European Championship victory got a newspaper spread over two pages.
It was completely unique. Two pages, are you kidding me? Oh look, a picture too, remembers Sundhage.
Sundhage's experience is that Switzerland has previously had national team captains who have not dared to take risks.
You have to be crazy. It means you will make mistakes, and that's scary for a Switzerland player.
The biggest mistake you can make is not trying. Otherwise, you will never find out how good you are.
Clara Nyblom/TT
Fact: Pia Sundhage's merits
TT
Player merits
Club team: four Swedish Championship gold medals (Jitex 1979, 1981, 1984, 1989), four Swedish Cup gold medals (Jitex 1981, 1984, Hammarby 1994, 1995).
National team: World Championship bronze (1991), European Championship gold (1984), two European Championship silver (1987, 1995), European Championship bronze (1989).
Coach merits
National team: two Olympic Games gold medals (USA 2008, 2012), Olympic Games silver (Sweden 2016), World Championship silver (USA 2011), European Championship bronze (Sweden 2013).
Elected women's coach of the year 2012 by FIFA.
