Mr Tami, football has shaped your life in many ways. Which period of your career do you remember most fondly?
There are three phases of my career that have had a particular impact on me. Firstly, my time as a player, when I played for various teams in Ticino and won a cup final with the team. The second phase was as a coach. I started coaching in my hometown of Gordola, but later I also coached at clubs such as Lugano, Locarno and Grasshopper-Club (GCZ). A special moment was playing in the Europa League with GCZ. I also started working for the SFA in 2005. I was the national coach for the U16, U17, U19 and U21 teams. In 2011, we even finished runners-up in the European Championship with the U21s in Denmark. Another highlight. And finally, the last part of my career, no longer as a player, no longer as a coach, but in the management of the SFA as Director of Men's National Teams.

How do you see football today, what has changed for you?
A lot (laughs). Every moment as a player, coach or manager is different. My job is completely different now. I'm known for my main job, which is to help the senior national team. But that's not all I do. I look after a total of eight national teams, from the U15s, U16s and U17s to the senior national team. I also supervise eight national team coaches, five team operations managers and a staff of around 50, ranging from assistants, coaches, goalkeeping coaches, fitness coaches and physiotherapists to doctors. It's a big group for whom I set goals and tasks.

What else do you do on a daily basis? Can you give us an insight?
My job is based on three pillars. The first pillar is the national coaches. It's important to me that every coach knows where we see the national team. I have a clear vision of the Swiss game. If we want to have a strong senior national team, our work starts many years in advance. That's why we meet regularly to analyse the games and the development of all the senior teams.

Another important pillar is the scouting system. If a youngster makes it into the U-national team, it is not a knock-out criterion for everyone else. We always keep an eye on the best talent. We do this by filming almost every game between the U15 and U21 teams. From these videos, we can analyse all the players and create a database.

The third area is innovation. The most important project in this area is "Take your Time". The aim of this project is to give time to young players who have not yet been able to perform well, for example because they are not as advanced as others. With Take your Time, we give young footballers two to three years to develop their strengths.

How happy are you with the team's current form?
We have made a good start to this qualifying campaign. But the results don't match the performance on the pitch at the moment. We're playing well, but we're not winning. Nevertheless, I'm happy that, despite the difficulties, we've achieved our first goal - we've qualified. I've seen many times in football when players and coaches have failed to achieve their goals in difficult times. But we have achieved our big and important goal of qualifying for the finals of the European Championship in Germany.

What are your expectations for Euro 2024?
Many. A major tournament is also a great opportunity for the players. Some of them have experience of such tournaments, but with new players we always want to develop our national team. We've made a lot of progress in recent years, but we still have a lot of work to do if we want to be among the best in Europe. We have big dreams. It is important to have dreams, but we also have to be realistic. The generation that won the U-17 World Cup in 2009 are coming to the end of their careers, and the U-21s haven't qualified for their finals for a long time, so not all the youngsters have that winning mentality. But if we want to continue to be successful with the national team, we need successful youngsters with that mentality.

Is that mentality lacking at the moment?
The winning mentality comes from winning or being one of the best. That's why it's important to play in big tournaments like the European Championship. But there's a generation growing up that hasn't experienced those emotions enough. That doesn't mean we're not hungry. We are always hungry. But the next step is the hardest and requires a lot of investment in the young national teams. But the trend is positive because the mirror of football at international level is our Under-21s, who are now 11th in the UEFA rankings. Many of these players, such as Amdouni, Ndoye and Okafor, are now in the senior national team.

Do you like to travel or fly?
When you're on the road a lot, travelling becomes a habit. But I like to fly when I go on holiday (laughs). I travel a lot, whether by car, train or plane. But sometimes it would be nice to be back in Switzerland or at home a bit more. But travelling is a big part of my job, and with SWISS as a partner, we are spoilt for choice. It's always a pleasure to fly with you.

Is there a memory of a flight with the national team that you would like to share with us?
I have so many (laughs). However, when we were in Basel recently with the national team, waiting for the next SWISS flight to Budapest, it was very windy. I'm always impressed by the pilots' ability to land in all kinds of conditions. If we make a bad analysis, we get a gate, but the cockpit always has to make the right decision.

Thank you very much, Mr Tami, for a very interesting interview.