Sporting top – economic flop: despite increase, Thun has “the knife on his neck”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 dXbCZE”>

Things are running smoothly at FC Thun. After a third of the season, the Bernese Oberlanders are at the top of the rankings together with the relegated Sion. They currently hold the first two places among themselves. Third-placed Wil is already eleven points behind.

Time to ask how many people in Thun believe in promotion. “A simple question, but difficult to answer,” president Andres Gerber (50) told Blick. Of course you believe it. It would be presumptuous to say otherwise in the current situation. “But it has a lot to do with psychology. And the less you try to force it, the more likely it is to work,” he says.

How long will Thun survive in the Challenge League?

The mood in the Bernese Oberland is good. “It sucks,” says Gerber in typical Bernese German. Although since the relegation in 2020, there have been repeated voices that say that the club will not be able to last long in the Challenge League. Over the past three years, Thun has lost more than a million francs.

Gerber emphasizes that they try to function independently of the competition. Yet he makes no secret of the financially tense situation. “Economically we have a knife on our neck. “You can’t keep that quiet.” But he doesn’t want to deviate from the path he has chosen. “We don’t want to sell ourselves and be determined by others. We are a people’s club.”

Gerber sees light on the horizon

Gerber is therefore grateful that the region is showing solidarity. “But you have to earn it hard when the sponsors support us like this. Especially because we are not at home in the economically strongest region. Many small amounts make a big difference for us.” But the many loyal sponsors are not the only reason why he sees light at the end of the tunnel.

“We are slowly reaping what we have sown,” Gerber says, referring to the plow. Unlike previous years, he sees the potential to earn a lot of money through suitable player transfers.

“An extremely thin line”

Gerber and Thun have been one for a long time. He has worked for the club for more than twenty years. First as a player, then as a sports director and now as chairman and general manager. ‘The responsibility is enormous. The pressure is almost unbearable and sometimes unbearable. But again, it’s beautiful and very satisfying when it’s running. It’s an extremely thin line.”

This also applies to the question of whether people believe in progress. Gerber: “We really want to get promoted. But it must be the logical consequence.” The next step is Friday evening against Aarau.

Source : Blick