The deep fall of the rankings: from serial champion to problem child

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When GC became champions for the 27th time on May 31, 2003 in the Neufeld Stadium in Bern, not many people thought that this would be the last championship celebration for a long time. Today, 7536 days later, in words seven thousand five hundred and thirty-six, GC is still the Swiss record champion, but the number 27 has not changed since then.

In between there are two turbulent decades. 18 coaches and 10 presidents tried their luck. The hard tower was demolished. GC fell for a cheater. Tried his luck with Chinese investors. And even ended up in the Challenge League.

The record of decline in the rankings, from the chic club from Zurich to the problem child from Niederhasli.

The ranking owes its last championship title in 2003 mainly to Rainer E. Gut and Fritz Gerber and their money. It is said that they have poured more than R90 million into the club. But in 2003 that ended and the financial downturn began.

Although GC is now short of money, there is still a good moment. In the semi-finals of the cup, GC defeated their arch-rival FCZ 6:5 after trailing 2:5. It is a game for the history books of Swiss football. The fact that the Hoppers subsequently lost the final to Wil fits in with the image that the club mainly portrayed in those years.

The club is spending more than 20 million on the new GC campus. A sensible project, but problem number one: this is not in the city of Zurich, but in provincial Niederhasli. Problem 2: the high fixed costs. Construction was completed in July 2005.

Voters in Zurich had already said yes to a new stadium in 2003. That is why the last competition will take place in the Hardturm on September 1, 2007. More than a year later, the excavators actually get to work. But today, more than sixteen years later, there is no modern football stadium, but… nothing. To this day, no one knows when the new GC home stadium will actually be built.

GC and finance – it’s a perennial problem. When a sheikh named Volker Eckel appeared in April 2009 and promised 300 million francs, the club management clutched at the straw. The rest of the story is known. Eckel is not a sheikh, but a Black Forest impostor. The whole of football in Switzerland then laughs at how naively GC fell for him.

The last sporting glimmer of hope. Thanks to a win against Basel, GC becomes cup winner for the 19th time. It is the last major title win to date.

What was always completely unthinkable happened on May 12, 2019: GC was relegated from the Super League. Accompanied by the fact that the match was canceled because the slobs of Zurich revolted in Lucerne. It is only the second relegation in the club’s history after 1949. What the new GC reality looks like can be seen impressively on July 20, 2019: the first Challenge League home game against Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy. A ghost game because of the riots after the relegation. Bonjour Tristesse, GC.

The Chinese are now in charge at GC. Even though they are pouring millions into the loss-making company, there is absolutely no sense of optimism. And that interim president Sky Sun said in his inaugural speech “Hopp Tschii Sii!” said. says, doesn’t exactly make for all sunshine and roses among GC fans.

A small glimmer of hope. After two years in the Challenge League, the record champions are at least a Super League team again. But nothing more.

From now on, Chinese will no longer be spoken in Niederhasli, but English. Will the Americans really make the rankings great again? The classification fans would be happy if May 31, 2003 was no longer the day of their last championship title.

Source : Blick