The Swiss Ice Hockey Association has released national team coach Patrick Fischer with immediate effect. The decision was confirmed on April 15, 2026. Jan Cadieux will take over as manager of the national team for the upcoming home World Cup.
Trigger: Covid certificate forgery scandal
The trigger for the dismissal is a scandal surrounding a fake Covid certificate. Patrick Fischer publicly admitted that he had obtained such a document for the Olympic Games in Beijing. As early as 2023, he was legally sentenced to a fine for forgery of documents.
The case was discussed publicly again after Fischer made a similar statement to SRF in a TV film.
Association reaction
The association initially stated that the matter had been clarified internally and closed. However, after increasing public criticism and pressure, the leadership changed its stance.
In a later statement, the association emphasized that although the case was legally closed, it had triggered a broad discussion about trust and values. Integrity and role model function in sport were central reasons for the consequence.
Merits of Patrick Fischer
Despite the dismissal, the association praised Fischer’s sporting record. He has been with the national team since 2015. During this time, he led the team to several World Cup finals and significantly improved Switzerland’s international position.
Consequences and outlook
With the change of coach shortly before the home World Cup, the Swiss national team is facing a significant change. Preparation for the tournament, which will take place in Zurich and Friborg, is now being led by Jan Cadieux.
Image: facebook.com/2023iihfwm
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
