SOCCER/EURO2004: Swiss journalist Christian Andiel explains why the venue for Saturday's crucial game means so much to coach Köbi Kuhn and his players.

Switzerland might lead their qualification group for Euro 2006 going in to Saturday's game against Ireland, but it doesn't mean that all is well with football in the country.

On the club front, FC Basel are so dominating the Super League this season that it has become a bore for supporters - on Thursday they beat Servette's record from the 1981-82 season when they won their 13th consecutive league match.

They lead the table by 14 points, from Servette, while defending champions Grasshoppers of Zurich, third from bottom, are in no fit state to challenge - they sacked coach Marcel Koller on Friday.

Meanwhile, Switzerland's key attacking player, Basel's Hakan Yakin, who has played in all but one of the group games, is a major doubt for Saturday after picking up an ankle injury in that record-breaking win over Neuchatel Xamax. He would be a major loss to Swiss coach Köbi Kuhn, although he is hopeful Yakin will make it.

That crushing 4-1 defeat in Moscow last month was a huge blow to the morale of the team and, to top it all, there is in-fighting between two of the French-speaking players, Johann Vogel and Stephane Henchoz, and the German-speaking Murat Yakin. Vogel and Henchoz complain that Yakin gets special treatment in the team; Kuhn must attempt to resolve the rift if it is not to do serious damage to the spirit in the camp.

So, then, there are plenty of problems for Kuhn to solve in the next few days. The one bright point, though, is the stadium and the atmosphere in Basel, where the match against Ireland will be played - this is the single greatest advantage for the Swiss team.

Basel is unique in Switzerland, not just because of its football success. The city is on the border with Germany and France and its population of 250,000 feels more "European" than Swiss. They also feel they are the permanent underdogs, especially in comparison with Zurich, the main city and the most important in political terms.

Every "victory" over Zurich, no matter in what area, but especially in football, is a source of great celebration. Little wonder, then, that losing out to Grasshoppers in the championship last season caused so much pain - the only consolation was that coach Christian Gross, the best in the country, decided to stay on, turning down an offer from German club Schalke.

Basel is different in many other ways, too. There is a level of enthusiasm and passion around the city and around the club that is not found in the rest of the country, where people are more reserved.

Football in Basel is part of the culture, the players and coaches are heroes - such "hero-worship" is rare in Switzerland.

If the club has the best coach in the country it also has the most generous patron - Gisela "Gigi" Oeri, heir to one of the biggest companies in the chemical industry, Hoffmann, gives about e10 million to the club every year, half their budget.

The people of Basel love football and adore their club. Other matches in the Super League get crowds of 7,000 or 8,000; the 33,000-capacity St Jakob Park in Baselis sold out nearly every game. Kuhn prefers the national team to play there, where the fans get behind the team rather than criticising it.

The national team can profit from this passion and atmosphere and benefit from Basel's footballing success - the Yakin brothers are very important to Switzerland, although Murat is not in the best of shape at the moment; Pascal Zuberbuhler is a good back-up to number one goalkeeper Jorg Stiel, and striker Marco Streller (22), picked for the first time by Kuhn, is a good prospect. A strong player and cool goalscorer, he could make his debut against Ireland if a goal is needed.

FC Basel is, then, the "golden light" in the "darkness" of Swiss football and Kuhn will hope the passion in the city and the atmosphere in St Jakob Park, which sold out for the game in just 30 minutes, will inspire Switzerland next Saturday.

Even in Basel, though, there is one place where Swiss fans will be in the minority next Saturday - Paddy Reilly's pub in the city centre. Will the Swiss be celebrating victory there - or drowning their frustration in Guinness?

Christian Andiel writes for the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger