Sirio Vernati

Sirio Vernati ( born May 12, 1907 in Zurich, † 22 February 1993) was a Swiss football player of Italian descent. He graduated from 1936 to 1943 34 caps for the Swiss national football team.

Career

Clubs, to 1946

The son of Italian immigrants began in his hometown of Zurich in the 20's at Young Boys industry, a Jack Club in the working class neighborhood in Zurich 5, in youth with organized football game. About the Junior stations Blue Stars and Juventus Zurigo he came in 1930 to FC Zurich and lived there through the amendment of Article 1 of the sweepstakes rules on July 5, 1930 in fact the introduction of a league ( three regional groups of eight to eleven teams) with professional players. But already on 18 July 1931, the delegates decided to back a change: the creation of the National League ( NL ), consisting of two groups of nine clubs. But the glory did not last long. The attendances rarely exceeded the 4,000 mark and thus be over-indebted clubs. On 15 July 1933, the introduction of an all-season and all-Swiss sweepstakes operation with the National League was decided at the top, in Vevey.

For the introduction of the new National League in the Round 1933/34, joined Vernati for Grasshopper-Club and delivered in the first implementation of the all-season championship with Servette Geneva during the entire 30 game days a thrilling battle for the title. Servette won by three points before GC the title and the Geneva scorer Leopold Kiel wood set with 40 hits a record scorer, followed by Vernatis teammate André Abegglen with 33 hits. In the cup competition, Vernati continued but with the players Severino Minelli and Oskar tube in the final on 2 April 1934 at the Wankdorfstadion in Bern 2-0 goals against the garnet champion team of 1933 and 1934, Servette Geneva, by. In the fourth year in GC and 1936/37, won the offensive center half and through his tireless running strength Ankurbler of the game, his first Swiss Championship. GC drew attention to BSC Young Boys, Young Fellows Zurich and FC Lucerne on the courts. With a 10-0 success in the cup final against Lausanne -Sports Vernati celebrated on March 29, 1937 even the Double. The 29 -year-old game strategist had successfully applied in the series 1936/37, on urgent request from Association President Otto Eicher to a Swiss passport and denied after naturalization on November 8, 1936 his first international match for Switzerland. In the game year 1937/38, he reached with GC behind the new champions FC Lugano the runner-up and was able to hold harmless the third Cup win against Servette Geneva. The second title in the National League, he experienced 1938/39, as the tied teams of FC Grenchen FC Lugano and ranked in the squares. In the seventh year at GC 1939 /40, the dominance of Servette was so pronounced that the team's top scorer at Georges Aeby the championship with 13 points won ahead of Vice Grenchen and even 15 points before the defending champion from Zurich for themselves. By his fourth Cup success, with a 3-0 victory on March 25, 1940 in Bern against the runner-up team to goalkeeper Erwin Ballabio, FC Grenchen, Vernati could also 1939/40, end up with a successful and athletic for twelve months resting place. He retired from the NL game mode and played 1940/41, only in the company of his employer team FC National cash registers.

Sirio Vernati was at the zenith of his powers as one of the best offensive center half in Europe. He received for the game against West Central Europe on 20 June 1937 in Amsterdam an invitation, but had to cancel because of a Mitropa Cupspiels. In the course of Central Europe XI therefore the two Italians Serandoni and Andreolo, as well as the Hungarian Lazar were used. When he was appointed for the game of continental selection on October 26, 1938 in London against England, he spent the encounter with the other substitutes Raftl, feast, Hahnemann and Colaussi but on the bench.

From 1941 to 1946, the veteran then again five laps in the top Swiss league with each club FC Lucerne ( 1941-43 ) and Young Fellows Zurich was on the ball, before the age of 39 ended his activity in his hometown in 1946.

National Team, 1936-1943

With 29 years after his naturalization Vernati debuted on November 8, 1936 in the Swiss national football team. Switzerland lost the international match in Zurich with 1:3 goals against Austria. When he in Vienna with the 3:4 defeat against Austria his eighth game for the "Nati " completed on September 19, 1937 Eugène Walaschek and Karl Rappan, Vernatis debuted club coach at GC, the first time the command of the SFV - selection held. Rappan immediately led the legendary " Swiss latch " one. Here, the defender secured from each other, the outer rotor as outdoor deck covered the opponent's wingers and the center half covered the space or played offensively in possession of his team. It was the signature role of Sirio Vernati. "Nati " coach Rappan based usually on a player - combination of Grasshoppers - Huber, Minelli, Lehmann, Springer, Vernati, plus the Geneva Lörtscher - in defense and the " Servettiens " with Andre Abegglen Walaschek, G. Aeby, as well as the GC - striker Bickel and Amado from Lugano in the attack. The first exclamation mark put the "Nati " on October 31, 1937, a 2-2 draw in a friendly in Geneva against the reigning soccer world champions Italy. Already during the international match on February 6, 1938 in Cologne against Germany, Rappan had found his starting line- for the goal of participating in the Football World Cup 1938 in France. Only Fritz Wagner GC played in the 1-1 draw in place of Andre Abegglen that since 1935 once again played his first international match for Switzerland on March 13 after his return from France and knee surgery. On May 1, 1938, the Confederates qualified with a 2-1 win over Portugal in Milan for the World Cup finals in France in 1938. Also in the sensational 2-1 win on May 21 in Zurich in a friendly against England Vernati was among the top performers of the Confederates. Winning depends on the contemporary conception was the tactical plan of coach Rappan, with whom he aushebelte the system of British:

" The English had mentally adjusted to a game in which they would set the tone, and as the Switzerland suddenly playing their style began when they refused to respond to the well-meaning intentions of their opponents, as they unorthodox one, in football, cooking books ' not foreseen game operated, the method was not without well, but kept away from sober schematics, the guests from England came easily from the step. "

The " unorthodox " style of Redcoats consisted of the defensive concept of " bar " and the game with a back hanging center forward.

With the 4-2 success in the replay on 9 June in Paris against Germany in the World Cup tournament, the "Nati " the whole of Switzerland replied in a veritable ecstasy. Vernati and colleagues - Willy Huber; Severino Minelli, August Lehmann; Hermann Springer, Ernest Lörtscher; Lauro Amado, Eugène Walaschek, Alfred Bickel, André Abegglen, Georges Aeby - had prevailed against a favored German team. November 8, 1936 to June 4, 1939 Vernati completed 28 matches in a row for Switzerland. With his 35th game selection on May 16, 1943, the 36 -year-old ended his career in the "Nati ".