Physiotherapist Fabian Felber heads the FC Luzern medical team. Before that, he was on the curve for years. (Image: Jan Fellmann)
Fabian Felber was in the curve before his engagement as an FCL physiotherapist. With Zentralplus he looks back on his adventurous time as an Ultra and explains why footballers are not as whining as they are often accused.
“It was a tailor-made start,” says Fabian Felber. When he started as a physiotherapist at FC Luzern, it only took two months before there was something to celebrate for the first time. After 29 years without a title, the FCL won the cup in 2021.
The Wankdorf Stadium in Bern remained empty due to the Corona regulations in force at the time. And so Felber initially only experienced the “Carnival in May” proclaimed by coach Fabio Celestini in the closest circle of the team – before hours later he was able to clink glasses with the fans in front of the exhibition halls on the Allmend (zentralplus reported).
Around 10,000 FCL fans celebrated the cup victory on the Allmend in May 2021. FCL physiotherapist Fabian Felber was also on the balcony at the time.
“As a physiotherapist, it obviously benefited me that I knew the best anti-hangover remedies,” Felber looks back with a smile. For the record: Electrolytes such as minerals, vitamins, salt and of course lots of water are essential after a night of drinking. The 33-year-old does not comment on the alleged miracle cure “Konterbier” to Zentralplus.
“Don’t want to miss the years in the curve”
Fabian Felber grew up in Emmenbrücke. As a little boy, his parents took him to FCL home games. He watched the first match from the edge of the standing room on his father’s shoulders. As a teenager, he found himself on the curve. He was there when his ultra group Blue White Generation (BWG) and the Lucerne (FL) formation began to gain influence.
«I don’t want to miss all the beautiful and adventurous years in the curve. They are part of my life,” says Felber. But instead of watching from behind the scenes, Felber is now watching the games from the substitutes’ bench. “I don’t feel any sadness,” he assures me. Because: “The curve belongs to those who stand there. And that’s good.”
After the cup victory, the crash
Many of his colleagues are still there today. At the same time, he also has a good connection with the younger generation. “The club connects us in a unique way,” says Felber.
How close his connection to the fans in Sector B still is became clear after the Barrage second leg against Schaffhausen in the summer of 2022. It was Felber’s second season as an FCL physiotherapist. This was in stark contrast to the first. “The cup victory fueled huge expectations – but instead of flying high, we soon fell to the bottom of the table,” says Felber’s analysis.
The relief was all the greater when FC Luzern, under coach Mario Frick, managed to stay in the league with a bang. After the sometimes emotional players’ farewells, his colleagues from the curve waved him over. “Finally I sprinted towards the standing room and continued celebrating there.” Something like Severin Ottiger’s last-minute goal at the end of January, when the whole bank stormed the corner. Fabian Felber can also be seen briefly cheering in the video.
FCL players know Fabian Felber’s past
The players now also know that Felber was once part of the active fan scene. They were definitely interested in the curve and wanted him to explain certain actions of the fans to them. “It’s just that I’m no longer close enough to always have an answer ready,” Felber repeatedly tells them.
“As far as I can tell from the outside, the scene is developing very positively,” he ventures to briefly assess the situation. There is an enormous influx of young fans. The curve appears closed, compact and stable. “This is evident in the detailed choreos,” says Felber.
Fabian Felber celebrates the curve in detailed choreos. (Image: Marc Schumacher/freshfocus) If the fans protest, as here against collective punishment, Felber’s knowledge of the scene is particularly in demand among the players. (Image: fcl.fan-fotos.ch) Felber perceives the appearance of the curve as closed, compact and stable. (Image: Martin Meienberger/freshfocus)
He also mentions the “remarkable march” at the Thursday evening game at the beginning of February, away against Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, where the large numbers of Lucerne residents who had traveled along loudly got the team in the mood for the near-derby against St. Gallen (zentralplus reported).
“I would never move within Switzerland”
Felber was of course not offered the job at FCL because of his good contacts with the curve. He did mention his past as an FCL fan in the interview to sports director Remo Meyer. The deciding factor may have been his previous positions as a sports physiotherapist. For example in the youth sector of the Swiss national team or at SC Kriens.
Felber does not rule out a renewed commitment to the national team. However, it is clear to him: “I would never move to another club within Switzerland.”
Since August 2021, he has led the FC Luzern medical team and forms the interface between team doctors, trainers and sports director. Felber explains that he is also the first point of contact for the players when it comes to injuries and recovery processes.
Of dying swans
If a player goes down on the field, he will accompany the team doctor onto the field. “While the team doctors examine the players and decide whether they can continue playing or have to be replaced, I am in direct contact with the bench and keep them up to date,” says Felber, explaining the division of labor. It is usually decided on the pitch whether a player needs a turban, needs to be stapled or can no longer play.
Fabian Felber in action in the European Cup game against Feyenor Rotterdam in August 2021. (Image: Martin Meienberger/freshfocus)
Often, spraying with coolant or supporting and accompanying the supposedly injured player out is sufficient. This is also why footballers are repeatedly accused of being unnecessarily theatrical, acting like the dying swan, falling to the ground and being particularly sniveling. Felber steps into the breach for his colleagues. «Football is a contact sport. Unlike in ice hockey, the players are hardly protected at all,” he interjects. «Of course, the feeling of pain is individual. But to describe footballers in general as snivelling – I think that’s wrong.”
The hospital is clearing up
Fabian Felber has had his hands full over the last few weeks. Not just because of injured players, but also because of many players suffering from the flu. Now the virus appears to have been defeated. On Saturday evening, when FC Luzern plays away against GC, only the injured Ismajl Beka and Kevin Spadanuda will be missing, with Nicky Beloko suspended and Kemal Ademi absent.
But while the positive development of the personnel situation should have a significant influence on Mario Frick’s tactical considerations, it has no influence on the support from the curve. This is certain for the FCL.
Sources used
- Personal meeting with Fabian Felber, head of the medical team at FC Luzern
- Media release of FC Lucerne
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