Here are your scenarios for this Sunday: If Vaduz wins or draws, or if FCZ fails to win at Sion, they achieve safety for the second consecutive season. If Lugano wins and FCZ fails to win, Lugano achieves safety, and FCZ is relegated. If Lugano draws, the FCZ result will not matter, and it will come down to the final day. If Lugano loses and FCZ earns a draw, Lugano moves into last place on goal differential, and the season will come down to the final day. FCZ needs either a draw or a Lugano draw or loss to stay alive.
Vaduz now only need either one point from their last two games, or FC Zurich must not win this Sunday to achieve an unbelievable feat of playing in the top flight for a third consecutive year. Leicester City was an amazing story, but, for me, Vaduz staying up for a third consecutive year is more incredible. Leicester at least was on even footing at the start of the season. Vaduz have restrictions forced on them by the Swiss Football Federation just to allow them to play in their top two divisions. They are the only club in Europe who has to pay an annual entrance fee to play in the top flight. They receive only a portion of the television and marketing money that the league receives. The rest of the Swiss clubs split the difference amongst themselves. Vaduz also doesn't receive any money from the SFF to develop young players. It all comes out of the pockets of the owners. Even though the Prince of Liechtenstein owns the club, the club is forced to operate on a shoestring budget by the SFF. They are not welcome in the Swiss League for a few different reasons (small number of supporters/not Swiss/holding back more popular Swiss teams from coming up), but they have managed to do the unthinkable for a second straight year. They are one of 7 teams in Europe that can never play in the Champions League, no matter where they finish in the league (the other 6 also play in Liechtenstein). They are team without a league, and the only league they can play in doesn't want them, and yet they fight and scratch and claw and loan players from teams who no longer want them, and they are staying up, defying every single thing. Pretty flipping cool.
Second half points YB - 38 FCB - 37 SIO - 26 LUZ - 24 THU - 20 VAD - 20 GCZ - 16 SG - 15 FCZ - 13 LUG - 12 Surprising how far GCZ and FCSG have fallen in the second half. GCZ could very well miss out on Europe despite being a legitimate Champions League spot contender in the first half of the season.
22 May Vaduz - Lugano GCZ - Thun Sion - FCZ FCSG - Luzern YB - Basel We are getting down to crunch time for many teams. Sion needs a win over FCZ to make it into the Europa League, while FCZ needs a win to avoid relegation. Lots of fun matches this weekend.
22 May Vaduz - Lugano 0-0 GCZ - Thun 0-0 Sion - FCZ 2-2 FCSG - Luzern 1-4 YB - Basel 2-3 Vaduz is now safe, and FCZ is a point behind Lugano. Luzern moves into 3rd place and Sion is on the outside looking in. FCZ players are upset because with about 15 min left if their match, there was an announcement that Lugano had scored, when in fact they never did. Basel 83 YB 66 Luzern 53 GCZ 50 Sion 49 Thun 41 FCSG 38 Vaduz 36 Lugano 32 FCZ 31 25 May - Last Day Basel - GCZ FCZ - Vaduz Lugano - FCSG Luzern - Sion Thun - YB
Normally I would be in that camp. However, we need them politically to get the new Zurich stadium done.
Wild scenes as FC Zurich are relegated. Supporters attempt to storm the locker room. A post match interview with Uli Forte on Swiss TV is cut off as the fans make their way onto the pitch to go after Forte.
Basel - GCZ 0-1 FCZ - Vaduz 3-1 Lugano - FCSG 3-0 Luzern - Sion 2-2 Thun - YB 0-3 Sion misses out on the last Europa League Spot as they draw and GCZ wins at Basel (?) . FCZ goes down.
With the way GCZ supporters were celebrating at the Joggeli, you'd have thought they won the championship. I said it last night, and I'll say it again: Whoever wins the Swiss Cup is going to kill the Swiss coefficient. Neither Lugano nor FCZ will be able to muster anything in Europe with their squads. Rumors abound that GCZ will be dismantling their squad also, hoping to retool with the money they'll make from selling Dabbur. I hope YB can do next year what they did for the last 5 months and give Basel a challenge next year. YB were the most fun team to watch in the second half this year. Vaduz finished 8th. Truly a miracle if there ever was one. Relegation candidates for 2017 - Lugano, Vaduz, Lausanne, St. Gallen.
Something tells me the Challenge League clubs aren't ready for the FCZ "fans" next season. I admit it, I had a big smile on my face when their fate was sealed. Forza Lugano in the Cup!
Zeman quits Lugano. Says the players weren't up Super League standard and therefore couldn't play the way he wanted to play. I'm not sure what he expected. Lugano can't afford to compete with Basel, YB, or GCZ.
Well at least he was being honest and for the most part correct. That's how I feel when coaching my daughters U14 soccer team... I am joking of course.