Rappan then moved to Switzerland, where he started playing for Servette FC in 1931, becoming a player-coach until his retirement as a player in 1935, and winning the Swiss league twice with the club, in 1933 and 1934.

After almost four decades of service in Swiss football, he returned to Austria to be the technical director of Rapid Wien – his former club as a player – for the 1969–70 season.

The team would fold back into its own half and wait for the opponent's attack, conceding possession of the midfield.

It relied on collective work, and gave the amateurs of the time a chance to compensate to some extent for their lack of skill.

Rappan's system was never fully understood by many people at the time, and the coach himself never discussed it, keeping a certain mystery around it.

[6][7] With Rappan as its coach, Switzerland qualified to the World Cups of 1938, 1954 (where they beat Italy and lost 7–5 to Austria in quarterfinals), and 1962.

Rappan recorded three wins, one draw, and six losses as a coach in World Cup finals tournaments.

Rappan, who had the idea of creating a European league, helped Ernst Thommen, the Managing Director for the Swiss Football Pool, conceive the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which started in 1961.