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Lia Wälti: "I realised that a lot is kept secret in sports"

Three months before the European Football Championship in Switzerland, the 31-year-old explains why she is protecting young players and which developments in women's football she views critically.

Four matches, two draws, two defeats: That's the sobering record of the Swiss women's national team this year, culminating in the European Championships on home soil in July. On Tuesday evening in Iceland, the Swiss women had to settle for a 3-3 draw after leading 2-0. Captain Lia Wälti told SRF afterward that the game was "wild," "we simply lack character in certain situations. We play too naively." Wälti explained in an interview with the NZZ newspaper before the final two matches that she also sees positive aspects in the team.

Lia Wälti, the national team's performances in recent matches have been mixed. Is the home European Championship coming at the right time for Switzerland?

It's a good time. There was a big upheaval last year, and after that we didn't quite find our feet. But in the last few months, many young players have fought their way into our team; they are real rays of hope. The timing is right for them: they're not as well known yet, and expectations are lower. We haven't been at a top level in the last two or three years, but we have talent in the team and experience. We urgently need to take the next step in Switzerland. Many countries are making great progress, and we mustn't lose touch.

Sydney Schertenleib, one of the talented players, plays for Barcelona and is already being compared to Messi in Spain. She's 18. Can you say at that age that someone is on their way to becoming a superstar?

I try to protect her. It's very important to take the pressure off. She's had a great few months and is incredibly talented. But she's not the only one; there are two or three others, like Iman Beney or Naomi Luyet. The pressure shouldn't be on one player, especially not on one so young. I try to tell the young players that they can give us the pressure. They should play freely. I hope we manage to handle them well and let them make mistakes.

You were also such a talent, but you took on a lot of responsibility at a young age. Do you recognize yourself in any of these players?

They're all very different in character. Naomi already takes on a lot of responsibility. At 19, she exudes a great sense of calm. That's what stood out to me back then, too. Sydney and Iman focus more on their own game, but that's not meant to be judgmental.

A lot depends on you on the national team. You don't like to hear that. How do you get others to take on some of the responsibility?

It's not that easy. I also had to learn to delegate responsibility. And realize that you have to delegate things and trust someone who may not be as confident. At the same time, you rely on the help of people who are naturally inclined to take on responsibility.

Do you find it difficult to delegate responsibility?

It gets easier with age. You learn from mistakes, after all. During certain phases when a lot depended on me, I took on a lot of things that I shouldn't have had to take care of. Today, I'm better at delegating responsibility.

National coach Pia Sundhage complains that the Swiss women aren't loud enough or confident enough. Why is that?

Communication has always been a big issue for us. We've often had foreign coaches tell us we're so reserved. Perhaps that's also typically Swiss. Pia wants to get something different out of us. And we're much better at it than we were two years ago. We have more extroverted players who dare to speak up and are loud.

Speaking of taking a leap of faith. Two years ago, you took a break in the middle of the season because you weren't feeling well mentally. Was it difficult to ask your club, Arsenal, to do that?

It was particularly difficult because I didn't admit to myself for a long time that I needed the break. Afterward, the conversation with the club was relatively easy because there was no option B for me. It's really like an injury: you're out for an indefinite period of time. But with a torn ligament you can estimate how many weeks it will last, but not with something psychological. But I received very good support. Lots of people asked what was wrong with me. That made me realize that a lot of things are kept secret in sport. People often say someone has a muscular injury, but in reality it's a psychological break. But it was important to me to communicate it to the outside world as it was.

For what reason?

It was important to me to say: Not everything is perfect with us either.

Did this step change you?

Rather, it's strengthened or encouraged. Maybe it's made a difference for others: They see that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Next time, I'd share it sooner. Often, you don't even consider the option of taking a break.

You can only see why it is not possible to interrupt.

Exactly. You don't sleep well, so you try sleeping pills. You don't eat well, but you manage somehow. You always find other solutions before taking a break. In my case, it wasn't burnout and had nothing to do with football, but with my personal situation. I felt so bad that it affected my whole life. I couldn't eat or sleep anymore; that's a dangerous combination. In sport, you expose yourself to such a risk of injury. That's when I realized: I can't go on like this for much longer.

You're involved in many different things, and you're studying alongside football. How do you balance everything?

This summer, everything is coming together for me: the European Championships, finishing my studies, getting my coaching license, renovating my house, and then there's a children's book I'm publishing with my sister. But that's what defines our family: We rarely put things off until tomorrow; we tend to take on too much. I may be a professional footballer, but there are 16 hours in a day, including bedtime. You can use those hours wisely.

Why did you write a children's book and not an autobiography?

I've always felt a strong connection to children. Along the way, I've noticed how many children look up to us, how many we can inspire. This has strengthened my desire to write a children's book. It wasn't planned that it would be a biographical story; it just unfolded as I was writing. Hopefully, we can encourage a few children to become professional footballers—or even to dream and pursue what they want.

It wasn't an easy road to publication.

When we decided to publish a children's book, we didn't know what to expect. We quickly realised that finding a publisher wasn't easy. There were times when we got stuck. But luckily, we never gave up. It helped that we worked as a team. One of us always had the drive needed to keep going.

It's noticeable that you and your sister Meret are very close. What does she mean to you?

She means a lot to me. We've always been close. We had similar hobbies growing up and challenged each other in sports, pushing each other. We were both passionate about football. As teenagers, we lost touch a bit. But when I went abroad, our relationship grew even stronger. I would describe Meret as the most important person in my life. And now we've discovered that we can work together. The fact that we're a good team for a project like this encourages us to think about future collaboration.

Do you already have ideas?

We have a lot of ideas. That was also our problem with the children's book. We had a lot of ideas, and it was difficult to settle on one story. But our goal is to build something together that can support girls and women in football.

You're an advocate for girls' and women's football. Before the European Championships, support for the game was expanded in Switzerland. Does that give you hope?

I wonder if Switzerland is passionate about football enough to achieve as much as other countries. But it would be wrong to compare itself with football-mad England, for example. Even the Swiss men's national team only sells out one in ten matches. You have to be realistic, but still demand better conditions for the women. Often, stadiums don't allow more spectators. This is clearly evident in England: teams that play in easily accessible stadiums fill up much faster than remote, roofless stadiums. In my opinion, Super League clubs could let their women's teams benefit from these conditions.

Do you think the efforts are sufficient? For example, with the legacy projects within the framework of the European Championship?

If you're tough: No, it's not enough. Other countries make faster progress. But you have to look at where you're coming from. I've been on the national team since 2011, and a lot has changed in Switzerland too. I'm grateful. For the fact that we even wanted to bring the tournament to Switzerland - I never thought that would be an option. The association has set an example with this. But the clubs have to take responsibility too. Especially if you want to make the league more attractive. I know a lot of players who stop between the ages of 16 and 22 because the effort and return are no longer right. People often pass the ball to each other until you ask yourself: Who will start first?

Recently, several players have warned about excesses in women's football or said that hate on social media is increasing. How do you perceive this?

I agree. The larger the fan base, the greater the media attention, including on social media, and the greater the hate. Unfortunately, that's the negative side of the business. For me, there's a clear rule: reading comments on social media is taboo, especially after games. It just makes you unhappy.

Women's football has always prided itself on its values. How can we prevent these from being lost?

I find that difficult. Women's football is characterised by values such as openness and tolerance regarding sexuality and origin. Our fan culture is LGBTQ-focused, and everyone feels safe. I hope this sense of security and family is maintained. But the more we play in men's stadiums and have 50,000 to 60,000 spectators there, the more male fans we have. Two worlds collide. I wonder if this can still be controlled when women's football is growing like this.

Do you think that's possible?

I hope so, by maintaining family-friendly ticket prices or kick-off times. But it's difficult to say where our sport will go if things continue at the rapid pace they have over the past five years. However, role models are important, and in the women's game, there are many players who embrace their sexuality . That alone reinforces and upholds the values—perhaps more than it ever will for men.

It's a paradox: On the one hand, we celebrate growth, but on the other, we now have to fear excesses. How do we deal with this paradox?

A lot of it comes down to role models. Whether it's the players, clubs, or associations. How much do they invest in radiating these values? Now clubs are starting to investigate fans who send hate messages. Or the entire club is supporting Pride Month, not just the women's sections. I hope we don't reach the dimensions of men's football. I don't think that's justifiable.

Their generation is used to fighting for a cause. The younger players face a different situation and perhaps don't have the same drive.

Unlike the generation before us, we're at least privileged enough to still get a piece of the pie. You can't blame the youngsters for taking what they encounter for granted. But I can honestly say: We're still fighting for a lot. I'm privileged because I play for Arsenal. But 99 percent of the players are in completely different situations. They're confronted with issues every day, just like we were at Arsenal five or six years ago.

If you have had to fight, you have a different awareness, especially when it comes to feminist issues.

Yes. But that's a question of character. There are players who use their voices, and those who are introverted. I grew up in a family and environment where there was very little sexism. That's also important. It's okay if someone doesn't want to use their voice—but it's important and encouraging that there are those who do.

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