Weekly duel: FCZ and the Lions at the top – is it good for the sport if the two most important titles go to Zurich?
Is it good for the sport if the two most important titles go to Zurich?
FC Zurich is almost certain of the title in the football championship, and the ZSC Lions are also on the verge of triumph. Not all sports fans in Switzerland are happy about that.
Yes: It can only be an advantage for the splendor of Swiss sport that important titles are once again brought to Switzerland’s only metropolis.
Everyone has experienced this before: when you go on holiday and talk to foreign fellow travelers about your Swiss homeland, everyone is always firmly convinced that Zurich – and not Bern – is the capital of Switzerland. What does that tell you? That Zurich is indisputably the Swiss city with the greatest national and international appeal – whether you like it or not.
So it can only be an advantage for the splendor of Swiss sport that the title holders of the nationally most renowned sports come from the country’s only metropolis for a change. Because in recent years, things have been dominated elsewhere: in football, as is well known, in Basel for a long time, then (in football and ice hockey) in Bern. Eight championships in the FCB series were followed by four by the Young Boys, the monopoly in Swiss football had shifted and is now being dissolved, at least temporarily, by FC Zurich.
You can only be happy about that – even as a neutral non-fan of the FCZ. Even if you take a look at the neighboring country, where FC Bayern has won the championship for ten years and everyone is complaining about how boring their league is. A similar fate was averted in Switzerland by FC Zurich.
Of course, one can now argue again that FC Zurich is not a worthy holder of the title because during the pandemic there were just as many supporters in Letzigrund as before – namely almost none. And that the ZSC Lions didn’t deserve the title because they lost the quarter-final series against EHC Biel. And yet, the enthusiasm for sport in the city of Zurich is increasing.
The modest number of spectators in the Letzigrund increased significantly in the course of the FCZ’s wave of success, and it could increase even further after the FCZ has actually been declared champions, also with regard to the next season. The need to visit an FCZ (or GC) home game could increase even further if the construction of the new football stadium, which is currently being delayed, can finally be pushed ahead.
The ZSC, on the other hand, will be able to move to its new home base next winter. And the championship title from the current season can serve as a catalyst that the new arena is quickly gripped by ZSC fever and that the sports city of Zurich continues to grow in attractiveness. Benjamin Schmidt
No: the city of Zurich would hardly benefit from a double victory – income from this would cut it off from the rest of Switzerland.
It’s not that far yet, but the two most important championship titles in Swiss sport could have gone to Zurich on Sunday. The ZSC Lions can already become champions in the fifth playoff game against EV Zug on Wednesday, FC Zurich then on the following Sunday in Basel. But should it really come to that, it would not have a good impact on the Swiss sports landscape.
What could be positive about it if a single city in Swiss sport temporarily assumes such a dominant position? What makes the sports fan happy is the diversity in the country. When success is concentrated in a single region, it’s not only boring, it’s also frustrating for the other areas.
In addition, Zurich is not benefiting from the expected success. Neither football nor ice hockey are showing significant growth – neither in terms of interest nor in terms of resources.
This is probably due to the fact that sport is not decisive for the identity of Switzerland’s largest city. In Zurich other things play a role. For example, the size, the economy or the culture. In contrast, FCB has a much higher priority for Basel.
It is further to be expected that Zurich’s success WILL push the rest of the Swiss sporting landscape even further away from the city. Because ZSC and FCZ were never known for being able to attract fans from other regions, like the Young Boys, FC Basel or SC Bern, for example, were able to do. It is much more likely to distance oneself from the largest Swiss city and let it do its own thing.
Zurich has always been an island within Switzerland. An island from which people often kept their distance, especially in sports. The double victory would not make Zurich any more attractive – rather isolate it even further.
It’s also easy to imagine how precarious it would be for FCZ to win the classic on Sunday. Zurich would become a big enemy for Fußballbasel, would finally replace YB as the main competitor of recent years and reignite the rivalry between FCB and FCZ. And what ugly actions the two fan bases are capable of has been seen enough in the past. Linus Schauffert
The weekly duel: From now on, the “Basler Zeitung” will be covering topics that move the world of sports at regular intervals – and in doing so, shedding light on the pros and cons of both sides. Recently published: Should body checks be banned in ice hockey? Will Tiger Woods win another major tournament? Does the Super League need this mode change? Is the pressure in women’s tennis too great? Is Basel ready for professional ice hockey?
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