The Blizzard

"And so, when all’s said and done, what does it matter? That there’s a yawning, unbridgeable chasm between the internationalism and diversity of cities like Geneva and Basel and the conservative politics of the Swiss rural heartlands? Between the hero-worship of Muslim footballers and a national ban on minarets? Between footballing icons like Xhaka, Shaqiri and Behrami and the fledgling Kosovo side that might yet reclaim them? Between the distaste for ‘Yugos’ and a World Cup forward roster of men named Drmić, Seferović and Gavranović? Between the intractable fact that immigration in Switzerland has facilitated mass over-achievement, from finance to football, and the reality that much of the population is now supportive of bolting the doors?" In Episode Forty Three we revisit 'The Multi-Kulti Question' by Mike Phillips, which looks at the unique make-up of the Swiss national team and its multicultural nature, featuring players of Yugoslavian and Kosovan origin - some Swiss-born, some naturalised immigrants.