Budget decision still open, Wallis as plan B: Promoted Yverdon threatens with league minus record

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The second of three match points is used: thanks to the 1-1 draw against FC Aarau, Yverdon is promoted to the Super League. For the third time in club history. 17 years after relegation in 2006. And only two years after returning to professional football in 2021.

After the final whistle, the fans storm the field, set off fireworks and cheer on the players and coach Marco Schällibaum. He says shortly after the final whistle: “Unbelievable, it feels unreal. We’re just enjoying this moment right now!”

Yverdon Sports. What’s next for the Super League? Blick introduces the surprise climber.

Like star striker Brian Beyer, who played in the 10th French league a few years ago, Yverdon has also had a steep climb. In 2017, the club was still at home in the 1st League Classic, the fourth highest division. After moving on to the Promotion League, they also played at the front there. Since there were no amateur league games in the first Corona season 2019/20, Yverdon was only able to move up to the Challenge League in 2021.

There, promotion coach Michel Aeby had to leave after three games due to poor results and Uli Forte, a prominent name, became his successor. When he left for Germany (Bielefeld) in 2022, veteran coach Marco Schällibaum took over. A surprising, but in retrospect perfect choice: a year after he had climbed to the Challenge League with Bellinzona, Schällibaum repeats the achievement one class higher. And says: “Yverdon can become the jewel of the Super League.”

Bijou in the Super League? The Stade Municipal, which was renovated in 2019, certainly has potential for this. But the fact that Yverdon initially received the license for the Super League is because the promoted team starts the season in exile. Because the lighting, infrastructure and security measures in the Municipal are not yet suitable for the Super League, the club has designated the Stade de Tourbillon in Valais as an alternative stadium.

Background: Marco Degennaro, CEO of Yverdon, was formerly employed by FC Sion – and is still an advisor to Sion president Christian Constantin. It is therefore logical that Yverdon would switch to Sion.

This will have a negative effect on the number of viewers: the average for the current season is a good 1,500. And that despite the fact that Yverdon has been at the top of the ranking since the start of the season. And in the future, the fans will have to get into the car for more than an hour to cheer on the team in Sion. That should plummet viewership – and set a minus record in Super League history.

The climber still hopes you don’t have to go to Zion. With away games at the start of the season you could bridge the necessary time until the stadium is in shape. This requires the league’s approval when designing the game plan.

But there is also a danger that the entire season will have to be played in Sion. The city council still has to approve the extra budget for the lighting installation. If there is a no on June 15th, Yverdon should join Zion.

And the capital of the canton of Valais would remain in the Super League, even if FC Sion were relegated.

St. Gallen coach Peter Zeidler won’t turn 61 until August – Marco Schällibaum has been since April 6. And will replace the German as the oldest coach in the Super League next season. This fact shows how long Schällibaum has been in the business: his last game as a coach in the Super League was almost 14 years ago. In November 2009 he was released in Bellinzona – after a 1:7 against YB and a 0:5 against St. Gallen. Since then, “Schälli” has worked for Lugano, Aarau and MLS club Montreal, among others, before being unexpectedly called to Yverdon a year ago.

Although Yverdon owner and real estate entrepreneur Mario Di Pietrantonio would have the resources to do so, one looks in vain for well-known names in the Yverdon team. Or discarded Super League professionals. It used to be different: in the first division Djibril Cissé, former Champions League winner (2005 with Liverpool), even laced his boots for Yverdon.

Today, the most famous names are former Servette pros Koro Koné and Anthony Sauthier. Sandro Theler, former Sion player employed by Yverdon Sport, says of the promotion: “It’s a success of cohesion. The chemistry in the team is excellent. No one takes themselves more seriously than the group. That’s the only reason why it’s in the first place was possible.”

Source : Blick