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FC Winterthur is back in the Super League, FC Schaffhausen could follow. But is the security system adapted to high-risk games in the Super League?
After 37 years, FC Winterthur (FCW) is returning to the top football league. The joy in Winterthur is huge – but the Super League means additional financial and personnel costs for the city, says Head of Security Katrin Cometta.
It is still too early for concrete numbers. But the city is prepared for high-risk games in the Super League: “Winterthur already has a lot of experience with big matches – now it’s becoming a little more common that we have to use the larger security system.”
Super League brings budget increase for FCW
Andreas Mösli, Managing Director of FC Winterthur, is also convinced that the club will get through the Super League – also from a financial point of view. “Sure, we need more money. At the moment we have a budget of six million. In the Super League, that should be increased to ten million.” But Mösli also makes it clear: “We need more to help us so that with ten million we are not ‘the little ones’ in the Super League.”
For FCW veteran Thomas Gerber, FCW can now show that it is possible to operate with less money. “FC Zurich also became champions and certainly doesn’t have the most money in this league,” explains the hobby filmmaker for Schützi TV. “Money alone scores many goals, but not all.”
This is how players and fans of FC Winterthur celebrated
Schaffhausen prepares for possible promotion
In the summer of 2007, FC Schaffhausen (FCS) was relegated from the Super League to the Challenge League. Now FCS is playing again this week in the Barrage for promotion to the Super League. What causes euphoria among the fans triggers security questions among the Schaffhausen police.
But in the event of promotion to the highest football league, Schaffhausen would not have to manage the security measures alone, says the Schaffhausen security director, Cornelia Stamm Hurter. «We are part of the Eastern Swiss Police Concordat. It is customary and contractually guaranteed that people support each other in such exceptional situations. » Of course, high-risk games are associated with risk. “But we have trained security forces who know how to deal with such situations,” says Stamm Hurter.
Ronny Bien, former FC Schaffhausen stadium announcer, is also convinced that FCS could manage the security measures in the top football league. Nevertheless, it is a short period of time before the new championship starts again. “You have to be sure about the books during the summer break, because there are different requirements in the Super League than in the Challenge League,” says Bien. “You saw that when you climbed in 2004, when you had to set up an additional grandstand within a few weeks and increase the security system.”
Financially better prospects in the Super League
If FC Schaffhausen shouldn’t make it to the Barrage, the medium-term goal must still be the Super League. Because, according to Bien, the Challenge League is not a financial sure-fire success because of the low income.
Bernt Haas, head of sport at FC Schaffhausen, sees things similarly. Even if Schaffhausen should manage to climb, it is clear to him that they cannot make big leaps in the Super League either. But: “But one or the other transfer would certainly be possible that would not have been possible in the Challenge League.”
FCS will play against FC Luzern in the Barrage on Thursday and Sunday – after that it will be clear whether FCS will succeed in making the leap into the Super League.