Fans of former Swiss soccer power delay relegation with attempted pitch invasion
Sunday was a dark day for the Grasshoppers of the Swiss Super League.
The most successful team in the history of Swiss soccer was condemned to relegation, ending 68 straight years in the country’s top tier of competition. The winners of a league-best 27 Swiss Championships are now winless in their last 17 league games.
That was bad enough.
What turned the ordeal into a truly humiliating display on Sunday occurred when the team fell behind 0-4 at Lucern, all but ensuring their relegation to the Swiss Challenge League.
At that point, a mob of the team’s fans had seen enough and decided to cross the stadium’s security fence and threaten to storm the pitch, according to Reuters. They were met with a line of stewards and riot police, but play was still delayed.
Luzern vs. Grasshoppers is currently suspended and this is the scene at the swissporarena as Grasshoppers are set to be relegated for the first time in 70 years!
The fans are not happy! pic.twitter.com/EfcOP9vbEO— 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘀🇨🇭 (@FootballSwissEN) May 12, 2019
Grasshoppers players and officials reportedly went over to speak to the fans, who then demanded the players hand over their shirts and shorts because they were considered unworthy. Because everyone knows the best souvenirs are clothes you demanded in exchange for not triggering a riot over a soccer team doing badly.
The entire Grasshoppers team have been forced to remove their shirts and hand them over to the ultras. Not fit to wear the jersey!
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/CWktEZVJYA— 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘀🇨🇭 (@FootballSwissEN) May 12, 2019
Sadly enough, some of the players reportedly obliged and handed over their shirts.
Despite the attempts to placate the fans, the league still called off the rest of the game and will likely rule the result as a Grasshoppers forfeit. The loss would clinch the Grasshoppers’ spot in last place with three games left to play.
The club later released a statement via Reuters:
“That is shameful and simply unacceptable,” said the club in a statement. “The endangering of spectators, stadium personnel and players is not accepted by Grasshoppers Club Zurich. In this way, rioters destroy football.”
Wildly enough, this is apparently the second time a Grasshoppers game has been called off this year, as a game in which the team was losing 2-0 was via firecrackers being thrown onto the pitch.
Sounds like a lovely group of individuals.
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