Rise and loss of reality in Bern – why YB architect Christoph Spycher suddenly finds himself in headwinds

On Monday, the Facebook group "YB-Fans 1898" wrote how disappointed they were with Young Boys' performance. The following words were addressed to Christoph Spycher: "It's time to take responsibility. This stagnation can no longer be tolerated. If you can no longer see the way forward, then make room for someone who will bring fire back into this club."

The day before, YB had lost their home game against St. Gallen 2-1. The atmosphere in the sold-out Wankdorf Stadium was strange, at times hostile, and almost shocking to neutral observers. Coach Giorgio Contini had to endure chants of "Contini out!" And captain Loris Benito said: "We're not in a crisis. We would be if we were second from bottom."

In recent days, on social media, in angry reader comments, and in feverish fan forums, one has gotten the feeling that Young Boys are on the verge of relegation. Yet YB is fifth and lost a Super League home game against St. Gallen for the first time in over a year – after sixteen wins and three draws.

What's going on in Bern? Why are boundaries shifting? And why, of all people, is Christoph Spycher coming into such sharp focus? The list of accusations is long: Spycher, he claims, has lost touch with reality in a bubble with few allies; he's power-conscious and a smooth talker who only preaches platitudes and perseverance slogans; he makes many mistakes, not only in the transfer market, but is even jeopardizing his life's work.

Christoph Spycher is Mr. YB. In the organizational chart, he is listed as a member of the Board of Directors, Delegate of the Board of Directors, and Head of Sports. He is also a co-owner of the club, a minority shareholder alongside the Rihs family .

A sports director as a co-owner? Perhaps unique, certainly peculiar. A lot of power, a lot of responsibility. If anyone could do that, the saying in Bern was already "Wuschu," as the 47-year-old was already called as a boy. "In Wuschu we trust" was a slogan around YB for years.

If you talk to Spycher for a while, you can sense disappointment; the criticism is gnawing at him; he's slept more comfortably. Spycher weighs his words, discerning as always, even taking a few seconds to think before answering. "Of course we made mistakes," he says. And: "If I can't handle these extreme moods, I'll have to change jobs." He has been in professional football for over 25 years and has had to develop a certain resilience. "Perhaps this is also a sign of society today, that the search for someone to blame is almost always on."

YB sporting director Steve von Bergen couldn't handle the stress any longer. He stepped back in the summer – more family, less football. Spycher moved closer to the team again, oversaw a comprehensive restructuring of the squad before this season, and is now experiencing perhaps the most unpleasant period at YB. At one point, he said in an interview, almost to himself: "We haven't done everything wrong in recent years."

One could also say: Christoph Spycher is the architect of the most successful phase in YB's history. When the Bernese was appointed sporting director in September 2016, Young Boys were once again at rock bottom. In sporting terms, they were miles behind FC Basel, and financially, with a double-digit million-euro deficit, as had been the case several times in previous years.

The impressive record since then: six league titles, two cup wins, four Champions League appearances, an average attendance of over 28,000 for years, and equity of around 70 million Swiss francs. YB rose to become the pride of the city, radiating enthusiasm and fun, and delivering unforgettable emotions.

Spycher is the face of the club. Perhaps this explains the scorn he's currently being showered with. Yet he never acted arrogantly and even got annoyed when media outlets wrote that a statue of him should be erected in front of the Wankdorf. He sees himself as a team player, is decent, and not the self-promoter that often exists in football.

But perhaps YB grew too big too quickly for Bern – and with it, Spycher. Of course, nine years ago, he would have signed up for the club to develop so magnificently until 2025. He says: "Back then, everyone who supported YB would probably have signed up for a single cup win." The Young Boys waited over three decades for a title – until the 2018 championship.

Expectations rise with every success. A desire becomes a burden. Anyone who regularly talks to Bernhard Heusler learns a lot about this. The former president of FC Basel stepped down in 2017, after eight consecutive championship titles. He talks about how one can achieve goals but lose one's vision. In a 2017 interview with the NZZ newspaper, Heusler said: "With all these successes, there has been a certain loss of touch with reality. Suddenly, all of FC Basel's opponents in Switzerland are bad, every domestic victory is merely a matter of duty, every championship title is a given."

It's the same in Bern. YB moves people, interests them, and polarizes them. When SC Bern, the second-to-last ice hockey club, changes coach, it almost goes unnoticed in Bern. Young Boys, on the other hand, are denounced. And there are people at all levels who have had to leave the club in recent years—and therefore aren't particularly enthusiastic about Spycher.

Success breeds envy. At YB, there's even talk of a media campaign by the Bernese newspapers against Spycher. This would fit the image critics paint of the club. There's talk of a loss of touch with reality and of Spycher isolating himself, developing a siege mentality, and surrounding himself with yes-men. Spycher says he hasn't changed and trusts people who put themselves at the club's service.

Marcel Brülhart has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Young Boys since this summer. He wants to support Spycher more publicly so that others can also stand up and communicate. "Perhaps YB has forgotten how to deal with very difficult situations," says Brülhart. It's a statement that would have been unthinkable ten years ago.

YB quickly learned how to handle success – and soared to such a high level that coach Raphael Wicky was fired in the spring of 2024, even though Young Boys were the leaders. They lacked perspective and vision, and YB no longer inspired fans. Only becoming champions: boring!

In Basel, too, coaches like Murat Yakin and Urs Fischer were forced to leave during the club's celebratory years despite winning titles because their style of play was allegedly too unattractive. Brülhart summarizes everything YB must achieve today: "Play well, be successful, flourish financially, live by our values, the women's team must develop rapidly, and the new training center must be built as soon as possible." The lawyer and entrepreneur emphasizes that he is not complaining. "YB has earned these standards."

In recent years, Young Boys have somewhat lost their good sense when it comes to personnel decisions. Their transfer policy hasn't always been convincing, but the squad is strong on paper. The questions are: Do the individual players fit together? Does the team now have enough identity? And why is the coach failing to develop the team further?

Young Boys made several mistakes in their choice of coach. Giorgio Contini has been in charge since the beginning of the year, his record is mediocre at best, overshadowed by two bitter cup defeats against lower-league sides FC Biel and FC Aarau – and he's already lost 5-0 twice: in April in Lucerne and three weeks ago in Lausanne. Thursday's 3-2 Europa League win against Ludogorets Razgrad was a small relief for Contini as well. Spycher supports him, but expects a clear improvement and more consistency. The situation remains tense.

YB faces a pivotal week ahead – with games on Sunday and Thursday in Zurich against FC Zurich and GC, and the following Sunday at home against rivals FC Basel. It's a tough league routine. As sporting director, Christoph Spycher could have moved to the Bundesliga several times – a hero in Bern. He stayed. His two sons were still in school, and he's devoted to YB. Now he's fighting for his life's work.