Memories of the Neunkirch scandal: Servette sports director Maendly dreams of a double

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The Servette women have half of the doubles in their pocket since the cup win against St. Gallen. Now the women from Geneva want to grab the first double in the club’s history in the playoff final against FCZ on Friday and take revenge for the defeat against the women from Zurich last year in a penalty shoot-out.

Sports director Sandy Maendly (35) has already won a double. The former international made it in 2017 with the Schaffhausense village club FC Neunkirch. But the memories of the alleged fairy tale are ambivalent. Because the Neunkirch double also represents the biggest scandal in Swiss women’s football.

Like a strong man, Neunkirch sports director Beat S.* had financed for years with embezzled money the miraculous rise of the village club from the 3rd division to the best Swiss team. The case went to court. The head of sports was sentenced to a prison term that has now been served.

The defrauded company only survives through an emergency sale

The financial scandal came to light shortly before the great double triumph. The head of sports financed the professional structures of the team with many foreign players and stars such as Maendly with money that he funneled into a slush fund with his employer (and main club sponsor) Rimuss.

The annual budget would be only 70,000 francs. But as it turned out during the court hearing, the embezzled amount was about two million. The fact that the Rimuss winery was so short of money on the nationally known children’s champagne drove the company to ruin. She had to secure her survival through an emergency sale to a Graubünden wine producer.

While the fraudulent sponsorship plan around the village club imploded, the team continued on the field. Neunkirch defeated FCZ in the cup final. And in the championship they kept their first place until the end.

Maendly about the double with Neunkirch

Shortly thereafter, Schaffhausen’s team withdraws from the NLA. The alleged fairy tale is over. The players scatter in all directions. Maendly joins Madrid CFF in Spain. “The titles with Neunkirch were very special because all the players knew we were going to break up,” Maendly recalled.

After her return to Switzerland, she becomes champion again with Servette 2021. But the women from Geneva have not yet managed the double as in Schaffhausen. Now Maendly is one win away from making it as sports director. It would be her second double. The first without background noise.

Source : Blick