SERVETTE FC BITES THE DUST

By Lulu Bogflusher
January 7 2005

How one of the most famous clubs of Switzerland was ruined in a few years There is no light at the end of the tunnel in sight for the economically ruined Servette FC.

The possibility that the traditional Club from Geneva will continue to participate in the Swiss championship after the winter-break is very small.

Club-president Marc Roger said, that on Monday it will be decided if the club can find new sources of money and continue to exist, but hardy anybody believes that.

The majority of the players, who haven’t seen any money for three months, are staying quite at the moment, but this may change fast.

So it is to expect that Servette will not be saved, regarding the fact that 15 million francs are needed just to finish the season. The Swiss Football League has just considered the scenario of ending the season without Servette, because in this particular case only the "joint-stock company Servette FC" but not the Club itself would be bankrupt, it would be possible, for Servette to end the season with an amateur B-Team… theoretically... but it’s more likely to expect that they would loose all further games "forfeit" and would be substituted by the first of the second Swiss league at the end
Of the season.

Servette (founded 1890) has won 24 Swiss titles between 1907 and 2001 (17 Championships and 7 cups) and is therefore one of the most famous clubs in Switzerland, only Grasshoppers Zürich has been more successful. After FC Lugano and Lausanne Sport, Servette would be the third Swiss "Traditions club" which perishes within the space of three years

What will happen to the brand-new "Stade de Genève" nobody knows. The 30`000 all-seater stadium, which is owned by the community of Geneva, it is hardly profitable with Servette using it as their home ground…. A concert from time to time and 3 games at the Euro 2008 are not a good outlook on the future. It will cost the tax-payers of Geneva a lot only to keep the stadium In good condition. Month after month, year after year.

The Story of Servette is the best example how a great club is ruined in a few years by the incompetence, arrogance and ignorance of the people in decisive positions. The expectation, that Servette would become as popular and successful as Basel with a new stadium proved just as illusionary as the plan to become a kind of farm team of Real Madrid.

Marc Roger, a pathologic cheater and liar, who became the club’s
President at the end of the last season gave the struggling club the rest. In a ridiculous attempt of megalomania he changed Servettes team completely, in one summer and bought a far too large team (about 35 players!) with very expensive elderly ex-stars (f.e. Christian Karembeu, who will get 2 million+ francs only for this season… an incredible amount for the Swiss league). Roger always claimed that Real's former President Lorenzo Sanz would stand for Servettes finances, but Sanz refused and didn’t show any more interest in an alliance with Servette.

The book on Servette FC may be closed soon, but in Marc Roger’s case the last word may not yet spoken. It is difficult to believe that this unworthy man will not be sued soon.

What Servettes death would mean for the Swiss championship, which may be described as 9 teams who struggle too survive and FC Basel who use it mainly as a preparation for euro cup games, is difficult to judge.
But surely it will give backing to those people who think that Basel should play in the Bundesliga.

And this would signify finally the end of professional Swiss league
Football!