Promising Swiss Football Star Chooses Sabbath Over Success
13 November 2024|
Silvan Wallner was an up-and-coming Swiss football star until he announced his retirement last weekend out of observance of the Sabbath. At 22 years old, Wallner had already caught the eye of many prestigious football clubs, signing a two-year deal with Austrian Bundesliga club Blau-Weiß Linz for 200,000 euros. According to news outlets, “Wallner started his career at ‘Zurich’ and was a member of the Swiss U17 and U18 teams. In the summer of 2024, he moved to ‘Blau-Weiss Linz’ for 200 thousand euros from ‘Zurich’. In his new team, he played 13 matches.“
As a young athlete breaking into the top of his profession, many of his fans were surprised by his choice to leave it all behind to devote himself to Seventh-day Adventism. It is unknown how long he’s been an Adventist, however, he has stated that he has not found any local churches elaborating that as his career progressed, Wallner began to feel uncomfortable with the Saturday matches, leading him to retire altogether.
In a statement released by Blau-Weiß Linz, Wallner said, “I am a devout Christian and read the Bible. I make the decisions for my life myself. I want to follow Jesus Christ, and the biblical day of rest has become important to me. As a professional, this means that I do not want to play football commercially on Saturdays anymore. This is my personal conviction that I have come to in recent days.”
Feedback from his retirement announcement has been mixed but the majority has been confused as to how someone with such unmatched talent could waste it due to religion. Commenters on social media posts surrounding the announcement have said that not using a talent that God has given would be a waste, therefore insulting God. A few have even gone so far as to say no religion should get in the way of such a promising career. Despite the mockery and dissent, Wallner has remained steadfast in his decision, and he has been very clear that he’s uncomfortable playing for profit on the Sabbath and is unwavering in his choice to live by faith.
