1/7
After only four match days at Bielefeld, Uli Forte was released.
Michael WegmanDeputy Head of Football
Blick: Uli Forte, you gave up your secure coaching position at Yverdon in the Challenge League in the summer and signed for two years with Bielefeld, who have been relegated to the Bundesliga. You were released after four games. Would you do it again?
forte: Necessarily. It wasn’t a decision against Yverdon, it was a decision for the Bundesliga. She has always been my big dream. And she still is. I wouldn’t have to think twice again.
Only now you are without a club and Yverdon is in the race for promotion to the Super League.
I’m very happy for Yverdon and coach Marco Schällibaum and I hope they can pull it off because I’ve made a lot of new friends there.
Schällibaum is already 60 and has already been written off umpteen times. Would you have credited him with this success?
I wholeheartedly wish Marco success. He shows that you always have to keep at it, no matter what all the so-called experts say.
Uli Forte
Uli Forte (48) was released in August after just four games at German second division club Arminia Bielefeld. It was the first foreign posting of the Zurich coach, who had previously worked as a coach in Switzerland at Wil, St. Gallen, GC, YB, FCZ, GC and Yverdon in the Super and Challenge League. Forte won the cup with GC and FCZ, and was promoted to the Super League with St. Gallen and FCZ. The Swiss-born son of Italian immigrants played as a player in the Nationalliga B for Kriens and Brütisellen, he was also a player and player-coach at Red Star Zurich. Forte is married and has one son (3).
Uli Forte (48) was released in August after just four games at German second division club Arminia Bielefeld. It was the first foreign posting of the Zurich coach, who had previously worked as a coach in Switzerland at Wil, St. Gallen, GC, YB, FCZ, GC and Yverdon in the Super and Challenge League. Forte won the cup with GC and FCZ, and was promoted to the Super League with St. Gallen and FCZ. The Swiss-born son of Italian immigrants played as a player in the Nationalliga B for Kriens and Brütisellen, he was also a player and player-coach at Red Star Zurich. Forte is married and has one son (3).
You too were written off after your unsuccessful engagement in Bielefeld. A football connoisseur said in Blick kick …
… You are welcome to mention the name!
Erich Vogel about Uli Forte: “He’s probably at the end of his career”(05:16)
Alright: Manager legend Erich Vogel said you were getting weaker and weaker as a coach and predicted that this would mean the end of your coaching career. Did it hurt?
Not that, he’s too unimportant in my life for that. But of course I was annoyed about it. How does he claim the right to say such a thing? This is indecent and disrespectful.
Vogel says he brought you to GC twice.
That’s not true either. But that’s the way it is with Mr. Vogel, he likes to tell half-truths. In my second engagement he wasn’t involved at all. He didn’t even know Doctor Rietiker, the President at the time. So let’s leave the topic. I don’t want to talk about Erich Vogel anymore.
Aren’t you afraid that Vogel’s prediction will come true and you won’t be able to find a new club?
Not at all. It didn’t work out for Bielefeld, that’s all. Football is moving ever faster, club bosses are losing patience faster and faster. Look at Gerardo Seoane as an example. He sensationally led Leverkusen into the Champions League and in the following season he was released after eight match days. Or Marc Schneider, who had to leave Greuther Fürth after just three months, even though he had won and played well.
You were released at Bielefeld after four games without a point. What happened?
The commitment was under a bad star right from the start. Bielefeld has had a difficult time, has been relegated and has not won a home game since February. After the first defeat, everyone around us became very nervous and questioned everything. After the second bankruptcy, nerves were on edge. I tried to calm people down, but I couldn’t.
Uli Forte on the start of the season: “The red card in the opening game unsettled everyone”(03:40)
What are you accusing yourself of?
That I didn’t resolutely intervene when discussions arose. I should have set clear guidelines, instead I wanted to get everyone on board and allow for an open dialogue.
Do you have a specific example?
After the second defeat I wanted to minimize the risk and play easier. I wanted to take the load off our new goalie, who hadn’t had much match practice before, and bet on long balls. There was immediate resistance from the staff. It said: “We can’t do that!”.
Wasn’t it naive not to take an assistant with you?
I wanted to take my longtime assistant with me. But a few days before the contract was supposed to be signed, he got another offer. So it happened that I went to Germany alone. A lot was questioned and everything was discussed.
What did the club management say about this?
Let’s put it this way: I lacked the support of the club management, I felt alone. On the other hand, dealing with the fans was nice. I always felt a lot of encouragement there.
Were you convinced that you could make the turnaround?
Absolutely. But I needed support.
Now you are once again without a club. How does it feel?
Not as bad as before. It gets easier with every experience, but it’s never without problems. But my world is different now: I have a family that I really enjoy spending time with. Our son will be three next year. That gives me great moral support.
You are currently traveling through Asia with your family. Why do you actually want to stay in the coaching business? Ex-coaches say the quality of life increases massively after the resignation.
I like to think so. But even as a boy I was gripped by the football virus and never let go. I’ve been a trainer for 20 years now and I’m still passionate about it. It’s still too early to stop.
Then are you ready for a new club?
Absolutely. The batteries are charged. I feel dynamic and vital and want to attack again.
It means that you would apply for open trainer positions yourself. Is that correct?
Yes, why shouldn’t I? Switzerland is not that big, everyone knows each other. So why shouldn’t I take matters into my own hands and put an agent in between? You don’t let third parties introduce you to colleagues.
And would you work in the Challenge League again?
Yes. Football is passion. I don’t care about money, about prestige. It’s about passion.
National coach Murat Yakin was also in the Challenge League before that.
That’s awesome. From the Challenge League to the national team. Muri did it. Football is unpredictable. Or Juergen Seeberger. He did a great job at Schaffhausen for years, rose from the 1st division to the Super League and then for some reason didn’t get a real chance anymore. Now he’s suddenly with Vaduz and back in business. So: If anyone claims that the time is up, I say: “Stupid talk”.
So you’re open to any interesting project, except for Sion?
Why not for Sion?
Because a few years ago you thought you’d rather work as a dishwasher than as a trainer at Sion.
I got to know Christian Constantin in the meantime and we got along well. I wouldn’t say that anymore today. You should learn something new over the years. (laughs)