Two popular sports collide for BMC Racing chiefs Andy Rihs and Georges Luechinger

CYCLING and soccer drive the passion of BMC Racing owner Andy Rihs and the team's chief press officer Georges Luechinger.

BMC Racing owner Andy Rihs with champion rider Cadel Evans. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe.

CYCLING and soccer - two of the globe's most popular sports - drive the passion of BMC Racing owner Andy Rihs and the team's chief press officer Georges Luechinger.

Rihs is a major shareholder of BMC Racing - one of the UCI WorldTour's most lavish teams which houses Australian cycling icon Cadel Evans.

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Rihs also owns Swiss first division club Young Boys Bern and the 32,000 seat stadium Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf.

"I think cycling is in a way from an international viewpoint even broader than football,'' Rihs said.

"I'm in the business of soccer because there was an opportunity to buy the stadium and it also included the soccer club.

"In soccer I'm already a big fan it's clear my brother and myself do that.

"But both teams needs a top structure to make a successful team, however, soccer is not so predictable the top team can lose to the bottom team but in cycling it's always the strong guys are best."

Young Boys has a very close connection to Adelaide.

Former Socceroo, West Adelaide, Adelaide United and 1860 Munich striker Paul Agostino earned his first professional soccer contract at Young Boys in 1992 when the club spotted the incredible talent of the then 16-year-old South Australian.

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Rihs said Young Boys would always consider recruiting Australian talent just like Evans became BMC Racing's biggest ever signing.

But if Rihs had to 'make a life or death' choice he said cycling would be his preferred passion.

Nonetheless Luechinger - apart from being a first class media chief for BMC - is a FIFA and UEFA delegate and owns a UEFA coaching licence.

Luechinger has coached senior teams in the Swiss and Austrian soccer leagues.

He was the assistant coach of former Austrian Bundesliga team Austria Lustenau, FC Koblach and was team manager of the Liechtenstein national team and a former board member of its federation.

After business forced Luechinger to stop coaching in 2001, FC Koblach a club in crisis in Austria in 2012 called him back as an interim boss for three months after sacking its coach.

"All the emotions of coaching came back to me virtually right away,'' Luechinger said.

"I had a fantastic time."

After Luechinger's Santos Tour Down Under he will head to Europe and take charge of a UEFA Champions League round of 16 fixture in February where he has been assigned as a UEFA delegate for the powerful confederation.

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Luechinger is not yet sure which match he'll be working at but it could be Galatasaray v Chelsea clash or even the Schalke v Real Madrid fixture.

"I have worked at FIFA World Cup qualifiers, high pressure football matches and UEFA Champions League matches,'' Luechinger said.

"In the UEFA or FIFA job we're more as observers but on the BMC side we help and we consult when it comes to media.

"But we know stars are only human they listen to their heart and their stomach and when it comes to making a reaction (to the media) we help and assist but we're not police in a sense.

"But I really believe in common sense."

Luechinger is contracted to BMC after starting up his own media agency when he spotted deficiencies in the way teams handled the hungry press 20 years ago.

He is now managing director of Luechinger Establishment which is based in Liechtenstein.

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"I was the chief sports editor at a radio station and I noticed that not many professional clubs had professional PR and I started my own company and my first job was for an ice hockey club,'' he said.

"I look to do something in sport at the this level, like cycling at this level, UEFA Champions League, an Ice Hockey World Championship it's just fantastic

"The quality and expectations for me are much higher, so you have to perform to a different level.

"It makes it so exciting and interesting"

Luechinger was also master of ceremonies for major sporting events including ice hockey for the Winter Olympic Games in Torino in 2006 and is the on ground announcer for cycling's annual Tour de Suisse.

Luechinger is a family man, with a wife and two young children.

He spends up to three months away from Lichtenstein - his home.