A return to the Super League would be liberating: Thun must overcome these obstacles to achieve promotion

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The Challenge League is active again. And with it the mutual race between the two top teams Thun and Sion, both of which are fighting for a return to the Super League. FC Thun was there continuously for ten years from 2010 to 2020 and wants to return.

The lead over the first chasing group, half of the Challenge League, is enormous. In addition, the number of spectators in the Stockhorn Arena is increasing. Is there now promotional euphoria at FC Thun? Sports director Dominik Albrecht is positive before the start of the second half of the season and considers promotion realistic. “At the same time, it would be tempting to dream now,” he tells Blick. There are still a few obstacles that Thun must overcome to return to the Senate.

The heart of the matter is efficiency

On the one hand there is FC Sion. Thun’s direct competitor also prepared for the promotion race in the winter and signed Georgi Rusev (25), a Bulgarian national player. The Bernese Oberlanders would need to overcome this stretch to achieve immediate promotion, otherwise they will face a tough barrier against a Super League representative.

Moreover, Thun narrowly won many matches in the first half of the season. “I feel like we surpassed in terms of results towards the end of the preliminary round. This is evident, for example, from the expected goals. We scored more goals than statistically expected and from that perspective we were very efficient,” says sports director Albrecht, reflecting on the whole promotion hope. Will there be a statistical convergence in the second half of the season or can Thun be more efficient?

Two of our own factories are in high demand

The transfer period is also still open. Three of the most interesting figures for other clubs are the two homegrown players Daniel Dos Santos (21), newly elected Challenge League Player of the Year, and Valmir Matoshi (20), as well as Dos Santos, a Swiss U21 national player, as well as coach Mauro Lustrinelli (47).

How difficult is the challenge of keeping team members together? Sports director Albrecht confirms the increased interest in Dos Santos, but currently expects that his player jewels will continue to exist in the second half of the season. About possible desires for Lustrinelli, he says: “We consciously told each other that we wanted to build something in three years, and now we are halfway through.”

Thun is fighting for a more stable future on grass

A possible promotion is linked to the hope for a more sustainable future for FC Thun. The club recently recorded a loss of R1.5 million year on year. “Economically we have a knife on our neck,” Thun President Andres Gerber recently told Blick Klartext.

In addition to all the financial difficulties, the federal government announced in January that it would reclaim part of the Corona aid money for certain professional clubs, which also affects Thun. When FC Thun asked Blick, it cannot be said at this time how much the partial refund will shake the club.

In the Super League the economic potential would be much greater due to factors such as higher income from TV, sponsors and tickets and possible transfers, although there would also be higher costs and wages. “A promotion would help us, even if it wouldn’t solve all the problems,” says Albrecht. No guarantee of being in the black, but an extra motivation to overcome all obstacles in the promotion race.

Source : Blick