This is how the coach of Thun Football Club became “Gränni”

memorable

November 3, 2002: Swiss television has one of the best ideas in its history. Thun coach Hanspeter Latour recorded the song during an NLA game against Servette, instantly turning him into a cult figure.

follow me

ServetteGeneva was a guest of Thun Football Club. Here is the 17-time Swiss champion, over there is the newcomer from the Bernese Oberland. Center: TV journalist Regula Späni.

She accompanies Thun's successful coach Hans-Peter Latour to show television viewers how he charges into action. Great entertainment!

“That's grandma!”

There is one scene that is deeply etched in the memory of every Swiss fan. When Thun defender Armand Deumi Servette's Goran Obradovic fell, Latour tipped FIFA referee Urs Maier cried Urs Meier, who always fell down quickly:

When Hanspeter Latour published his memoirs in 2014, they were called: “It's a joke!” Even today, Latour told Migros Magazine, people watch in the streets This will also be shouted to him when he comes. He always smiles watching the video clips. “Some people say it's a freak. But I certainly wouldn't call the referee 'Mr. Meyer,'” Latour clarified.

He is a true coach who knows that if he wants to lead the small Thun Football Club to success, he must explore the limits. “Football is also a bit about drama. In my opinion, opposition players always go down very quickly. Of course, Deumi's intervention is quite harsh. That's why I think you have to tone it down a bit,” he revealed .

“Did Dr. Gill do it?”

The second highlight that Spagny brought with him from the Bernese Oberland to the TV studio was Latour's reaction to the only goal of the game. Gil, who had just been substituted, fired a shot, but Latour barely noticed in his excitement. Because the scorer took off his jersey but failed to put it on. Latour gathered his team:

So Mr. Meyer sent Gill to the sideline so he could get the team back in order. Latour immediately rushed to his players and said to Maier and Gill in turn:

Raised blood pressure in Latour: Forward Gill (right).Image: KEYSTONE

Now, Thune's supervisors are once again told by their bosses that they were neglecting their work.

As a speaker in the background happily announced the name of the goalscorer, Latour asked his bench:

It’s always these nimble goldfinches!

Latour led his Thun side to a third-place finish in the 2002/03 season – the Bernese Highlanders had never been better in the club's history. During his four years at Thun, the former goalkeeper laid the foundations for the club's historic entry into the UEFA Champions League in 2005.

He himself has moved on. Latour started working for record champions GC at the beginning of 2005 and performed so well that a year later he was unexpectedly hired by 1. FC Köln. “Bergdoktor” was relegated there, but he also won a lot of sympathy in Cologne. Latour returned to Grasshoppers and ended his coaching career in 2009. In the years since, he has continued to lecture and spread his knowledge (and his words of wisdom) on radio and television as a football pundit.

Latour, Brazil 2014 World Cup expert.Image: KEYSTONE

Things will be quieter for Hanspeter Latour in 2015: at the age of 68, he is retiring. Now he's no longer bothered by “ball rushes” or referees; now he's no longer bothered by forwards and impractical jerseys. But he wanted to photograph goldfinches in the hut behind Zulgtal: “Every time I focused on them, they flew away.”

In October 2016, this passionate nature observer will publish his second book. “They said it was a swallow!” But this had nothing to do with his previous enthusiasm.