Last but not least: Ryser meets exceptional kicker Ergic

 
Rarely, very rarely does the opportunity arise here to say a few words about sport. If at all, it is only in connection with the European Championship and its sponsors, which is being held under the absurdly strict dictates of Uefa. Today we will also be talking about football and journalism, but for a different reason. For once, an exceptionally good interview with a sportsman deserves a mention here. An interview that was so much more productive than all the game-is-over-and-the-athlete-is-exhausted-but-we-need-a-statement interviews that are usually presented to us. Perhaps this is also due to the footballer himself: His name is Ivan Ergic, he is captain of FC Basel and one of the most talented midfielders in Europe. And he was on the verge of a big breakthrough, before moving to the Italian Serie A to Juventus Turin. But then he suffered a nervous breakdown and could no longer cope with his life. Instead of the glorious move to Italy, he spent several months in a psychiatric clinic and finally made the arduous journey back to the FC Basel first team. He has been back there for some time now, fully supported by coach Christian Gross and with a completely unusual attitude for a professional footballer. In an interview with Daniel Ryser from Woz, he criticizes capitalism, names Karl Marx as one of his most important sources of inspiration and cultivates the idea of fair play. "A fair game is more important to me than success. That's my personal revolutionary idea, which I don't want to break with," says the 27-year-old Serbian-Australian dual citizen. Last week, this outstanding article - originally published in Woz in May last year - was awarded the 2008 Zurich Journalism Prize in the young talent category. 
 
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