Kuhn calls for divine intervention

Switzerland coach Kobi Kuhn believes the football gods are conspiring against his team but hopes he will return to favour with the divinities when they play France in their final group match.

After a 0-0 draw with Croatia and a 3-0 defeat by England the Swiss must beat France to keep their hopes alive of progressing in the competition.

Against Croatia Johan Vogel was sent off while Bernt Haas saw the red card against England and Kuhn hopes his fortunes will change soon.

“We are still in the tournament and that is good,” said Kuhn, who knows victory against Les Bleus could see the European champions eliminated on the strength of the head-to-head result between the teams – although if England draw with Croatia they would also finish on four points with the Swiss and the French, complicating matters further.

Then it would depend on who had the best results in the matches between the three teams – England beat Switzerland 3-0, lost to France 2-1 while the size of any Swiss win over France would also come into play.

“We had our chances to score against England but did not take them,” lamented Kuhn. “The team attacked more (than it did against Croatia) but without the confidence to score a goal.”

Then Kuhn made his appeal to the gods to help his men against France, saying: “I can only hope that the god of football will decide to wear red and white a little”.

Kuhn was speaking before it emerged that his star striker Alexander Frei was being probed for allegedly spitting at Steven Gerrard in the England match and he will also be sidelined if found guilty.

Stephane Henchoz may come into the defence for the Swiss to replace Haas with Patrick Muller moving to left-back and Christoph Spycher to the right.

Probable team: Stiel, Spycher, Murat Yakin, Henchoz, Muller, Huggel, Celestini, Hakan Yakin, Wicky, Chapuisat, Frei.