The charm of football documentaries is the attention to characters and stories beyond the confines of the pitch. Context is king and if there was an epitaph to Liechtenstein’s Euro2008 qualification campaign it would be ‘daring to achieve’. Sigvard Wohlwend appreciates this struggle in the creation of his film which premiered on Easter Monday in Vaduz and featured at the 11mm football film festival in Berlin.

“We actually did not have much time to think too much about in advance whether we would please the audience or not, because [time was] very tight in post production. We had the first copy available 11 hours before the very first media screening. What we wanted to create was a film about a football team, which Sebastian and I also would like to watch. Neither of us are hard core footballers or football fans. So we approached the project from a more cinematic point-of-view and less from a football view. But according to the comments we’ve had, the footballers and the fans are very happy with it.”

It is not surprising that Wohlwend is anxious to gauge the reaction of the players. As a group they are collectively known as minnows and they are scarcely singled out for praise or even criticism.

“The players are very pleased that somebody has taken the time to portray their little squad, which normally doesn’t get too much attention. For them it is very valuable to show within Liechtenstein, how serious they work with this project and of course they are happy to get some visibility.”

Such seriousness is abundant within the tiny principality. There are obvious issues of national identity and without a league system the national team provides a rare opportunity to express what it means to be Liechtensteiner. This context absorbs the story and provides an accessible scope beyond football.

“What we are really happy about is, that we do not only get appraisal from football fans but also from people usually not too much involved in it. Especially from women who went with their men tell us, that they really enjoyed the film even though they don’t care about football usually.”

Of course there remains a fair amount of fantasy in pitting one’s wits against Europe’s elite. Liechtenstein has progressed in recent years and Wolhwend attributes this to good organisation and a certain cultural heritage.

“First of all, the FA does a very good job. They take it very seriously and they are very professional. Another point might be the closeness to Germany, German TV and the German Bundesliga; where the players – when they were kids – could choose their heroes, see how far they might get, if they do it well.”

Wohlwend is reminded of an experience with Liechtenstein’s all-time scorer, Mario Frick. “Ah, this one, is nice: you get an estimate of what [he] earns in Italy…that he now gets a monthly salary which is comparable with what he would have earned as an office clerk in two years. Start calculating!”

It is this relationship between the elite and the ordinary which makes for compelling viewing. It isn’t rags-to-riches nor is it necessarily David versus Goliath. It’s daring to achieve.

“The hardest part was not the filming itself but getting everybody involved to give us clearance on before hand. Because obviously many couldn’t really imagine what we were doing, when we told them on phone or by email.”

“Real problems were only caused by a hyper-motivated UEFA delegate. For example in Denmark, where a Romanian (probably ex-Securitate) General told us to basically “fuck off” with the camera even though everything had been cleared with the Danish and the Liechtenstein FA on before hand, as well as with the rights holders and executive broadcaster. That was one of the very few annoying moments during the filming. But generally the co-operation with all organisations and people involved was very smooth and positive.”

The qualification campaign was neither smooth nor ultimately positive, but this summer the principality will be closer to a major tournament than ever before. Wedged ‘Mittendrin’ between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein is prepared to absorb some of the reflected glory from Euro2008. As bridesmaid they are expected to gracefully placate the Swiss in their warm-up friendly on 30th May, but the best-laid plans of mice and men will often go awry because of ‘The Mouse that Scored’.

Here’s a trailer for the film:

Photos courtesy of www.kicken.li

Joe Westhead will be blogging as an official volunteer at Euro2008 in Zürich. If you have any suggestion for events or stories you might like to be covered during his stay, then get in touch.

Derby Day

It’s never just a game. It’s never just three points.

Grasshoppers Club Zürich are not having a great season, and it’s made all the worse when they are forced to play their home matches in the stadium of their arch rivals, FC Zürich (FCZ).

The Hardturm, home to Grasshoppers since 1929, shut its gates in September 2007 (photo from last game below) to make way for the Stadion Zürich due in 2010. In the meantime the multisports club must play its home games in FCZ’s Letzigrund, recently developed for the Euro 2008 finals.

On Sunday night over 14,000 witnessed 7th place Grasshoppers beat title-challenging FCZ 2-1, their first win in seven over the city rivals. The victory was made all the more sweet as it seems the majority of the crowd was made up of “away” fans (though of course in their own stadium). ‘Hopper fans celebrated as the infamous Südkurve could only look on and wonder why they weren’t celebrating a home victory at the Letzigrund.

Derby day in February 2007:

Tragedy

One shouldn’t be fooled by the thought of Swiss football as neutral. Political leanings aside, the Swiss national team qualified for the World Cup 2006 in an extraordinary group where everyone kept drawing – of the top four teams in the group, only one team lost a match. At the World Cup itself they went out without conceding a goal, losing on penalties in Cologne against Ukraine.

However, the club scene is anything but placid. On the final day of the 2005-6 season, FCZ were trailing league leaders FC Basel by three points. The end of season showdown at Basel’s stadium (St. Jakob Park, below) looked sure to be heading the home side’s way when a 93rd minute winner sealed the title on goal difference, sparking riots.

About 30 seconds after the final whistle had been blown, dozens of attendees of the match who supported Basel stormed the pitch. These hooligans started attacking the Zürich players and officials who tried to flee into the changing rooms. FCZ’s Romanian defender, Iulian Filipescu, was attacked numerous times. A flare was also thrown at him, fortunately narrowly missing its target.

In the aftermath of celebrations, a 29-year-old FCZ fan Roland Maag attempted to quell a dispute among his own fans in the streets. Maag was hit, knocked out and remains paralysed to this day.

It was this story that drew a friend and I to Zürich in July 2007 to watch FCZ take on Bayer Leverkusen in a benefit match for Roli Maag, who was wheeled out to the 2,700 strong crowd at the Hardturm, weeks before the doors were closed forever. An agreeably warm summer afternoon reminded all those present of the best and worst of being a football fan. Posting in an internet café that evening, I wrote on the messageboard for FCZ fans:

“…but FCZ was great, we enjoyed it, drunk beer, ate sausage and looked at the lovely girls at Lake Zürich…”

Fast forward to Sunday evening, Grasshoppers having defeated their arch rivals, a victory that will be remembered all through the three-month winter break in Switzerland.

Reading the Grasshoppers match thread on the same FCZ messageboard I wrote on months ago, I notice the signature of one of the posters. It’s the comment I made months ago:

“Originally posted by JoeW:

Aber FCZ war geil, wir haben es genossen, Bier getrunken, Wurst gegessen und die zürische Mädel am Zürichsee bermerkt.”

It’s sometimes worth remembering the effect football can have. One tourist’s throwaway comment can become a mantra for a lifelong fan. One second can turn a runner-up into a champion. One celebration can become a nightmare.

Photo credits: Dreamer7112; Nelson H.,

“The celebrations went on in the restaurants and in the pubs in Vaduz until long after midnight,” he said. “Even today people on the streets have been stopping me and wanting to talk about this match.” (source: uefa.com)

On a night where England and Scotland were rocked in Russia and Georgia respectively, euphoria swept the four miles across Liechtenstein following a 3-0 triumph over Iceland. This victory marks the highlight of Sebastian Frommelt and Sigvard Wohlwend’s upcoming film “Die Elf – Kicken für die Krone”.

The pair followed Liechtenstein national team’s Euro 2008 qualification campaign as the side continued their steady progress on the international scene. A country of just 30,000 inhabitants (and three times as many registered companies), Liechtenstein is, according to the omniscient Wikipedia, the fourth smallest country in Europe after Vatican City, Monaco, and San Marino and a place so resource-poor that its water supply is listed as “negligible”.

Their current FIFA World ranking of 123rd (down two places from October 2007) belies their actual development. A haul of seven points from the recent campaign and eight points from World Cup 2006 qualification – including a credible 2-2 draw with Portugal – are by far their best ever records. Of course, upsets in football are common, but it’s not until one considers Liechtenstein’s size that their achievements become obvious. Here is a passage from Charlie Connelly’s “Stamping Grounds”:

“There are approximately 3,000 Liechtenstein men in total between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five. Not all of them will play football, and of those who do only a percentage will be capable of kicking a ball in a straight line. So it’s probably a reasonable guess that Ralf Loose has around four or five hundred basically competent footballers from whom to select a national team.

Until recently Liechtenstein had just one professional footballer. The same player, Mario Frick, is Liechtenstein’s all-time leading international goalscorer. With three. And one of those was a penalty.”

So why make a film about this supposed minnow? I asked film-marker Sigvard Wohlwend via email (translated from German):

“We are Liechtensteiner and we always asked ourselves whether and why Liechtenstein soccer players play along knowing themselves that they can’t qualify. But as we see, they become ever better. A second reason why we chose Liechtenstein and football – we looked for a topic on Liechtenstein which could have international interest, and that’s football. David versus Goliath.”

At a time when many critics are calling for pre-qualifying for the so-called international minnows of European football, the film shows a team who are competing with the top sides. High-profile players such as Mario Frick and Peter Jehle have played in the top leagues of Italy and Portugal respectively, whilst the team has recently recorded victories against Euro2004 finalists Latvia and an Iceland team boasting Eidur Gudjohnsen and Brynjar Gunnarsson.

The Liechtenstein national team are no strangers to English-language interest; Charlie Connelly’s “Stamping Grounds” introduced us to many characters that will appear in the film, but it is the expression of national identity from within the camp that promises to interest international audiences. Although “Les Yeux dans les Bleus” and “Deutschland: Ein Sommermärchen” documentaries follow the France 1998 and Germany 2006 squads respectively, “Kicken für die Krone” promises to tell an untold story to a new audience.

But don’t believe that this film will be a feature-length version of a Football Focus piece, the stereotypical bank worker scoring two goals against Iceland (Thomas Beck, if you were wondering). The Liechtenstein team are serious and are optimistic about their future. Their World Cup 2010 qualification group has drawn them with Germany, home of the annual 11mm football film festival. In addition to Wales, Russia and Finland, it is the Azerbaijan match which excites Wohlwend on his site www.autoren.tv – “Against them Liechtenstein won for the very first time in a qualifier. And that’s when goalkeeper Peter Jehle made his debut in the team.”

They are a developing team with plenty of optimism, so it is hard to see how suggestions of pre-qualifying would help such a nation continue to grow.

The film will premiere in Vaduz on Easter Monday 2008 (24th March).