WG legends about the change of power at the Hoppers: “It is tragic that no rich Swiss wants to take over”

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Those were the days when a small, green hopper was the most fearsome animal in Swiss football. 27 titles! Record champions! GC, an institute.

But a story from the past, long gone. The last championship was more than twenty years ago. Or to say it with legend Raimondo Ponte (68): “My GC heart has been bleeding for years.” The man from Aargau played 427 league games for the Hoppers. Ponte finds it semi-sexy that Americans are now in charge in Niederhasli: “It’s a shame that no one from Zurich has taken over the club. But if the new owners take the whole thing seriously, things can only get better.”

Ponte is convinced that Bayern Munich will participate: “If it really comes to the point that Bayern bosses get involved in the rankings, then that will help the club, then things can only go up.”

Boris Smiljanic (47), the former classification captain, sees it the same way: “My first reflex was: okay, another investor. Then I looked at the PK and realized that everything the new owners said sounded very reasonable. If you know how Americans run a sports business, there’s a lot to be said for it being a good business. The new investors know what they are getting into. They know they have to invest to be successful. If anyone knows how to bring a product to the market and make it exciting, it is the Americans.”

Egli finds it tragic

Andy Egli (65), who played 430 league games for the classification and won four championships and four cups with the classification, says: “You can only congratulate the new classification investors. Because they have the courage and take responsibility. At the same time, I find it tragic that by far the most successful club in the country, a club with such a reputation, cannot find a rich Swiss person willing to take responsibility. In general, sport has little meaning in our society. The support isn’t really there. Investing in sports would be a wise choice. Because sport is a role model and does a lot for youth work.”

The Zurich stadium issue is a symbol of this, Egli said. An opinion he shares with Roger Wehrli (67). He also became champion four times with the classification. And he also can’t believe the Hoppers still don’t have their own stadium. «I have only been to Letzi five times so far. Three times at a Robbie Williams concert and twice at Bon Jovi. Every time I drive past the Hardturm site, I still have tears in my eyes. And I don’t think I will live to see the new stadium.”

Wehrli does not think it is surprising that Americans are now in charge in Niederhasli: “I have a better feeling about it than I did then with the Chinese. I thought that was strange. But you should also thank them, because they always paid for everything. I have hope for the Americans because football has gotten better there. And that thing about Bayern sounds pretty good at first glance.”

After all, they are also record champions. And an institution.

Source : Blick