FORZA! live in the Papiersaal: Blick podcast becomes a stage
The first live episode of the «Blick» podcast FORZA! at Zurich’s Papiersaal showed how a soccer debate can work as a stage show—with Tobias Wedermann and Florian Raz as hosts and Blerim Dzemaili, Alex Frei, and Pascal Schürpf on the panel.
Anyone who listens to podcasts knows the phenomenon: after a few episodes, a strange closeness develops. Voices become familiar, running gags are recognized, assessments trigger contradiction or agreement - and at some point a format no longer feels like content, but like a meeting place.
This meeting place was given an address in the Papiersaal in Zurich. Around 200 guests filled the room when FORZA! - the Blick football podcast launched in September 2024 - was recorded live in front of an audience for the first time. The "play" on smartphones and computers became an evening together: not as a talk show copy, but as an extension of what the format already is in the digital world.
679 Super League games on the podium
Tobias Wedermann (head of football) and Florian Raz (football reporter) hosted the evening - with that mixture of structure and ease that often makes podcasts so strong. For the live premiere, they brought in a panel that not only had names, but also roles:
- Blerim DzemailiFCZ legend and former national team player
- Alex Frei, record goalscorer for the national team and former FCB icon
- Pascal Schürpf, active Super League player and experienced striker
The number that resonated in the room: 679 Super League games, plus 11 league titles and 7 cup wins - a condensed football biography that immediately gave the conversation gravity without it having to be solemn.
No regulars' table setting, but friction with substance
Live podcasts quickly tip in two directions: Either it becomes too well-behaved because the stage inhibits - or too loud because the audience wants "moments". FORZA! found a third way: entertaining, yes. But not as slapstick. But as a debate that is also more precise where it hurts.
The Zurich stadium as an ongoing topic
When it came to infrastructure, the tone became noticeably more serious. Dzemaili called it "shameful" that Zurich does not have a football-only stadium. Frei drew on his own memories of the old Hardturm and described how the athletics track at Letzigrund creates distance - both spatially and atmospherically. It was one of those moments when the room goes quiet for a moment: because the audience is not only listening, but also thinking.
GC, identity and a club between aspiration and reality
The situation at GC was also discussed not as a punchline, but as a development. Frei explained that the record champions had shown too little consistency over the years - with consequences for perception, ambition and the question of what the club stands for today. During the discussion, it became clear that if a club loses its line, it not only loses points, but also narrative - and therefore a piece of its brand.
Tactics, transfer policy and the question of "types"
It became particularly concrete when it came to squad logic. Frei addressed the youth craze that he observes at clubs: An axis of experienced players (27 to 30) is needed so that young talents can not only run, but also grow. Schürpf added from a player's perspective: In crises, you need "guys" who take responsibility - not just promises of the next step abroad.
Cabin stories as glue
What works differently live than in the studio: anecdotes set the tone immediately. Schürpf talked about everyday training, about friction, which used to get violent "to clear the air" - and about how dynamics change when cameras are everywhere and every scene is potentially scandalized. It was these insights that audibly picked up the audience: not because they were spectacular, but because they showed the game behind the game.
From podcast to stage: product logic instead of individual gags
From m&k's point of view, the "show" is less interesting than the strategy behind it: The "Blick" brings a digital format into the physical world - and turns a regular publication into an event. This creates a bond because it reverses the relationship: not only does the medium come to the audience, the audience comes to the medium.
Tobias Wedermann described precisely this dynamic in the interview: "There is such a community... and I think it's a social trend that people get together and make live content together." Translated into media logic: audio becomes event, reach becomes encounter, content becomes ritual.
And: such evenings open up new marketing spaces without necessarily having to look like traditional advertising. Especially with a view to the 2026 World Cup, live formats are a platform on which brands can be present in the football context - not as an interruption, but as part of the experience.
Outlook: The format wants to travel
The Zurich premiere will not necessarily remain a one-off. Wedermann hinted that further guest appearances in football cities such as St. Gallen, Lucerne or Bern are conceivable. If this happens, it would be the next stage of the same idea: FORZA! not just as a podcast, but as a traveling campfire for the Swiss football public.
Conclusion: FORZA! live shows how a media format is expanding its own platform: from the feed into the room. Not as a PR stunt, but as an understandable step in a time when community, proximity and recognition have become hard currencies.
