Fallen Frei ready to rise again

Alexander Frei may feel "a dream has been crushed" following the knee injury that ended his UEFA EURO 2008™ tournament almost before it had begun but the Switzerland captain has promised "champions stand up again and so will I."

'Dream goes on'
The 28-year-old striker left the field in tears shortly before half-time in Saturday's 1-0 Group A defeat by the Czech Republic in Basel, with a scan subsequently confirming a partially torn ligament in his left knee, sidelining him for six weeks. Frei's EURO may be over but he is keen to remind everyone that Switzerland are still in the competition, saying: "My dream has been crushed but the team's dream goes on. I already told the players before the game that our whole nation has one team now, and that we keep going whatever happens."

'Tears flowing'
Despite his admirable commitment to the team ethic, Frei admits the last two days have been emotionally draining, explaining: "Even as a man, I have to say that lots of tears have been flowing in the last 48 hours. I immediately heard a knock in my knee and knew at once that the tournament was over for me. That explains my reaction during the match. I haven't had much sleep for two nights now."

Injury problems
Frei's 2007/08 club campaign was all but ruined by a thigh injury although he did score four goals in the last three games of BV Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga season and had also struck three times in Switzerland's final two warm-up matches. Despite the devastating nature of this latest blow he is determined to find a positive, saying: "It was a matter of millimetres or I could have been out for six months again." The messages of support he has received have also helped and, asked if his role within the squad has changed, he answered with a smile: "Don't worry, Köbi Kuhn will remain the coach.
 
'Stand up again'
"You fall down in life, and then you can choose to stay lying on the ground or to stand up again," added Frei, who has already turned his thoughts towards the future. "Champions stand up again and I'll show myself to be a champion again in the future. [Dortmund chairman] Hans-Joachim Watzke has already called me and told me that, if there is any justice at all, I will score 25 goals next season."