The Multi Kulti Question

"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.

Against the backdrop of both their progression to the last 16 of Euro 2016 and the EU referendum in the UK, it's apposite to look back at the referendum in Switzerland in 2014 aimed at limiting EU migration, the debate it caused and the potential knock-on effects on the make-up of the Swiss national team.

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