In a significant leadership shift, Swiss giants FC Basel have appointed former Arsenal and Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner as their new head coach, following the departure of Ludovic Magnin just hours after a 4-3 victory over FC Zurich.
Lichtsteiner, 41, arrives from Swiss fourth-tier side FC Wettswil-Bonstetten to lead a Basel squad currently sitting fourth in the Super League and facing a precarious position in the Europa League standings.
Despite Lichtsteiner’s lack of top-flight managerial experience, Sporting Director Daniel Stucki expressed total confidence in the appointment, stating,
“Stephan knows all about high-pressure situations from his playing days, and although he hasn’t yet coached a team at the highest level, we have complete confidence in him for this task.”
For his part, the former Switzerland captain acknowledged the timing was unexpected but embraced the opportunity, remarking,
“Although the move comes a little earlier than planned, it was a given for me that I wanted to take on this challenge at this great club now, as the situation has arisen.”