As a national team manager, I wouldn’t have taken Xhaka to Serbia

Swiss-Serbian dual citizen and former football star Zdravko Kuzmanovic (37) hopes for a good, fair game without any incidents. But he also says: “The old stories will probably be too big, it will be hot and emotional again.”

Zdravko Kuzmanovic, on Saturday it’s Serbia versus Switzerland once again. Will you be in the stadium?

No. Serbian television did ask me if I wanted to appear as a pundit, but I declined.

Why?

Because my schedule doesn’t allow it. But to be honest, it suits me just fine.

Why?

This affair is a hot potato because of all the previous stories. And for me, as a Swiss-Serbian dual citizen who knows players on both sides, it’s not easy.

The Swiss Football Association emphasizes that they don’t want to talk about the past. Nati boss Pierluigi Tami called it “old stories” and said: “For us, this is a game like any other”…

… Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic said much the same and praised Granit Xhaka, calling him a “great footballer”. It’s true that both sides are trying to take the heat out of this encounter. But it’s not that easy in this case. It will be a heated, emotional game. These old stories are probably just too big – from a sporting and unsporting point of view.

First of all, the sporting point of view.

The Swiss national team is already under a lot of pressure with two defeats to start the Nations League. And the Serbs, who started with a draw and a loss, are eager for revenge. Serbia were defeated by Switzerland in the decisive matches at the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 World Cup. That still sticks in the craw of all Serbs.

And then there are the unsportsmanlike stories from the last two matches. The many provocations and hostilities. Can you simply ignore that as a player?

Everyone should try to block out the political aspects completely. I very much hope that we succeed. But it won’t be easy.

Granit Xhaka in particular will have to expect provocations. Is it courageous that he will also lead Switzerland onto the pitch as captain in Serbia?

It is courageous. It shows that this game is important for Switzerland and that they don’t want to do without their most important player.

If you had tried to convince Xhaka to stay at home in Switzerland, would you have been in charge of the SFA?

Yes, I would have. It would have taken a lot of the tension out of the game and would have been the best thing for all parties.

Will he be able to keep his cool if he is provoked?

I hope so, but I don’t know. I don’t know Granit, I’ve never played with him and, if I remember correctly, I’ve never played against him. The fact that the game is not taking place in the capital Belgrade, but in the southwest of Serbia at the Dubocica Stadium in Leskovac, certainly doesn’t make it any easier for him as far as the crowd is concerned.

Why?

Belgrade is an international metropolis with a predominantly cosmopolitan population. Leskovac rather less so.

Are the Serbs actually happy that Shaqiri has retired from the national team? After all, he has scored a goal in each of the two games so far.

They no longer worry about Shaq. They’re focusing on the Swiss players who are there. And they are strong enough.

Who will win on Saturday?

It’s not quite as crucial as it was at the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. I’m hoping for a good, fair game without any incidents.