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More than 40 million. Maybe even 50 million. Only they know for sure. One thing is certain: the Chinese owners have invested terrible amounts of money in the Zurich club over the past four years. Result? Promotion to the Super League was only achieved at the second attempt. And there too, GC makes no progress in the third season and is closer to relegation than to international business. Off the field? Many personnel changes, declining ratings – combined with neglect.
“That’s GC! Record Champion! “An institution, huh!” Club legend Ricardo Cabanas would hardly dare shout these words at a referee these days.
And now the end of the Chinese era is approaching. The transfer of ownership at the GC campus in Niederhasli ZH is expected to take place this week. The club will likely end up in American hands, which already own Los Angeles FC. Among them are illustrious figures such as former world football player Mia Hamm, basketball icon Magic Johnson and actor Will Ferrell.
10 million per season in debt
What do the Chinese give to the Americans? First and foremost, a club with a high deficit. So you ask yourself: why do buyers do this? – They’ll probably have to answer that themselves.
GC is currently losing over 10 million per season. Together with the purchase price in the order of single-digit millions, this amounts to around 50 million that has flowed into the club from China since 2020. You must have Jenny Wang and Co. give credit: they always paid. In other words, the millions being thrown out the window.
Because none of the proud plans of the Chinese have come to fruition. Sky Sun trumpeted in the Blick interview in early summer 2022: “Title? The sooner the better!” Sun will be president from April 2020 to early 2023. Or first envoy of Wang. His “Hopp Tschii Sii!” at the end of his inaugural speech is cult – but Sun should imagine none of it.
That inaugural speech only appears six months after Stephan Anliker and Peter Stüber’s “Champion Union HK Holding Limited” acquired 90 percent of the GC shares. Half a year! That and the “Tschii Sii” symbolize the distance between the club and its owners, which was not only geographical. Sun only appears a handful of times in Switzerland, and owner Wang only appears once.
Wolverhampton Farm Team
It is not surprising that chaos has reigned over the past four years. Because of the eternal battle for competence between the owners and the Swiss camp. The Hoppers are controlled from England, even though those responsible claim otherwise. They form the farm team of Wolverhampton Wanderers, owned by Wang’s husband. This will become clear again in the summer of 2023, when former Wolves employee Matt Jackson becomes the new and final GC president in the China era.
Countless players find their way from the island to Niederhasli. Swissness? No problem. One of the first official acts after the takeover is the dismissal of sports director Fredy Bickel. His replacement is Wolverhampton scout Bernard Schuiteman.
We will continue in this style. A coming and going. If ex-CEO Jimmy Berisha wants to appoint Marcel Koller as sporting director in the summer of 2022 and bring in players who have proven themselves in the Super League, he will lose his job.
Sky Sun will step down in early 2023. It is the beginning of the end of the Chinese era. He is shortly succeeded at GC by Bill Pan, who examines the company books on behalf of the owners. And sends the signal to China: Sell!
But simply: who takes over a very loss-making company – and also pays compensation for it? Apparently the Chinese have now found a solution that satisfies them with Los Angeles FC. It remains to be seen whether this will get the GC back on track. It can be assumed that there will be some personnel shuffling after the transfer of ownership.
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 BSC Young Boys
|
18
|
23
|
38
|
|
|
2
|
 FC St. Gallen
|
18
|
12
|
33
|
|
|
3
|
 FC Zurich
|
18
|
14
|
31
|
|
|
4
|
 Napkin FC
|
18
|
8th
|
31
|
|
|
5
|
 FC Lugano
|
18
|
2
|
26
|
|
|
6
|
 FC Lucerne
|
18
|
-5
|
25
|
|
|
7
|
 FC Winterthur
|
18
|
-7
|
22
|
|
|
8th
|
 Grasshopper Club Zurich
|
18
|
1
|
21
|
|
|
9
|
 Yverdon Sports FC
|
18
|
-14
|
21
|
|
|
10
|
 FC Lausanne Sport
|
18
|
-5
|
20
|
|
|
11
|
 FC Basel
|
18
|
-10
|
18
|
|
|
12
|
 FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy
|
18
|
-19
|
11
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
