Jakob Kuhn, former Switzerland soccer coach, dies aged 76

Swiss national soccer team's captain Alexander Frei, left, and head coach Jakob "Koebi" Kuhn, attend a press conference of the Swiss national team in Feusisberg. (Keystone, Eddy Risch/AP)

BERN, Switzerland — Jakob Kuhn, who coached Switzerland’s national soccer team at three straight major tournaments from 2004-08, has died. He was 76.

The Swiss soccer federation says Kuhn "succumbed to a long illness" on Tuesday in Zurich, where he played his entire career.

Known fondly as "Koebi," Kuhn won the Swiss league title six times as a player with FC Zurich and played in two European Cup semifinals. He captained the team when it lost to eventual European champion Liverpool in 1977.

Kuhn also went to the 1966 World Cup in England though was sent home early for disciplinary reasons.

He was appointed to the national team job in 2001 and advanced to the 2004 European Championship and 2006 World Cup.

He left after co-host Switzerland failed to advance from the Euro 2008 group stage.

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