SWITZERLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com SWITZERLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com INTRO St Jakob Park and low gates. Unlike in Scotland, the season isn’t split after Christmas. In 2019, Young Boys won the league with seven games to spare. Stadio Cornaredo In addition, the Swiss champions do not gain an automatic slot in the group Dominated by FC Basel from 2010 considered footballing royalty, ‘GC’ 2019 promotees Servette represent stage of the Champions League. Local onwards, the Swiss Super League were relegated in 2019. picture-postcard Geneva. neutrals welcomed Berne’s success, was won in 2018-19 by long-term bringing competition and variety. also-rans Young Boys, the flagship St Gallen have long overtaken Sion, capital of the Valais, home canton club of the national capital, Berne. Grasshoppers as top dogs in of disgraced ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, that created the universal mantra to For foreign neutrals, away from the big Switzerland’s far north-east, up by is one of three current top-tier clubs back the national team, ‘Hopp Schwiiz!!’. two in Basel and Berne, Swiss football Basel is the hotbed of Swiss football, the German border. Like several from French-speaking Switzerland. With We’re not in Hamburg anymore, Toto. is a quaint throwback. No, it’s not its St Jakob Park, known by all as others, FCSG play in a new-build Lugano representing Italianate Ticino, cheap, but then nothing in Switzerland the ‘Joggeli’, providing the fieriest stadium. the ten-team Swiss Super League is Like in Scotland, the modest size of the is. The beer will be decent, the cervelat atmosphere for the Swiss national a microcosm of Switzerland’s (mainly) league means that teams meet each sausage too. team as well as FCB. The other Some, such as Lucerne, Lugano, three-language divide. other more than once home and away. populist side is FC Zürich, who share Neuchâtel and Thun, have gorgeous This four-game fixture set-up has been Station to stadium the Letzigrund stadium with record Alpine backdrops, within reach of Supporters from six teams chant in the looked at by the Swiss Football League, Switzerland is well served by budget champions Grasshoppers. Once a lake served by sightseeing boats. same quirky form of Alemannic German worried by the Basel/Berne monopoly airlines, with hubs in Basel, Geneva liberoguide.com 1 SWITZERLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com Letzigrund, Zürich Lugano INTRO BASEL ZÜRICH ST GALLEN NEUCHÂTEL BERNE LUCERNE THUN The bottom two from each regional GENEVA LUGANO SION division of the 1.Liga Classic demote to the amateur 2.Liga Interregional, currently consisting of six regional groups. Each winner goes up to the fourth flight at the end of the season. Challenge League, the ninth- the ninth-placed plays off over two Below this level, the Swiss league and Zürich. Connecting all major They are sold at petrol stations, post placed plays off over two legs legs with the CL runners-up. pyramid fans out into a myriad towns, Swiss Rail (sbb.ch/en/home. offices and customs posts. with the CL runners-up. Also regional groups, from the sixth-flight html) offers Supersaver tickets online. consisting of ten teams who The bottom two clubs of the 2.Liga to the ninth-tier 5.Liga. Those paying full fare can at least take Tables & trophies play each other home and away Promotion League demote to advantage of the City-Ticket scheme The Swiss Super League consists of twice, the Challenge League the fourth-tier 1.Liga. Their The Swiss Cup, the Schweizer Pokal, that incorporates urban transport at ten teams who play each other home currently includes FC Vaduz from replacements are decided by play- begins with qualifying rounds within your destination and/or setting-off point. and away twice. As of 2017-18, the Liechtenstein, who can qualify for off, as the 1.Liga (aka 1.Liga Classic each level of the nine-rung pyramid winners no longer gain automatic the Europa League by winning the or Erste Liga, Première Ligue, Prima – between the hundreds of clubs Areas not covered by rail are served admission into the group stage of the national cup organised by the tiny Lega) comprises three regional within the 2.Liga, the 3.Liga, and so by PostBus (www.postauto.ch/en), League but must enter at the second principality. groups, roughly French-speaking on – before 64 teams take part in regional buses run by the Swiss Post qualifying round. Super League West, Central (German) and East August’s Round 1. This involves all Office. Some are also the main transport runners-up join the Europa League The lowest-placed team in the (German, Italian and Liechtenstein). Super League clubs from two seasons provider in smaller towns, such as Thun. second qualifying round, the third- second tier demotes to the third The top two from each of these before, the previous season’s top four Larger cities have a tram network. placed side into the first qualifying rung, the Promotion League, whose divisions go forward to the eight- from the Promotion League, plus the round. The winners of the Swiss Cup 16 teams face each other on the team play-off round, accompanied by 40 to have won through by qualifying. Swiss motorways require drivers to by go into the EL third qualifying round. traditional home-and-away basis. the two best third-placed finishers. an annual tax disc (vignette) of SF40, The reserve sides of top clubs such Play-offs are home-and-away, the As for Rounds 2 and 3, the draw is valid from December 1 of the previous The last-placed team from the top as Basel and FC Zürich cannot gain semi-finals producing four winners, seeded, lower-level clubs granted year to January 31 of the following one. division drops into the second-tier promotion to the Challenge League, the finals two. home advantage, ties decided over liberoguide.com 2 SWITZERLAND 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com Lugano INTRO Au Celtique Facilities are generally excellent, with CONTENTS beer and wine sold at stadium bars. 4 Basel Given the overhaul of four stadiums for 5 FC Basel Stadio Cornaredo Euro 2008, you’ll be watching the game 6 Berne in comfort, perhaps with an Alpine 7 Young Boys backdrop. 8 Geneva one game, with extra-time and for the winter break before Christmas, re-starting in early February and 9 Servette penalties if required. the spring season starting up in early running until mid to late May. Welcome to liberoguide.com! 10 Lucerne February and running until mid to The digital travel guide for football 11 FC Luzern Giantkilling is rare. The quarter-finals late May. Match days are Saturdays Entry level fans, liberoguide.com is the most 12 Lugano are also one-game affairs, invariably and Sundays, the usual kick-off Apart from big games involving up-to-date resource, city-by-city, club- 13 FC Lugano involving top-flight clubs. Semi-finals times being 4pm or 7pm. Occasional FC Basel and Young Boys Berne, by-club, to the game across Europe. 14 Neuchâtel are over one leg, home advantage midweek games, on Wednesdays and availability is rarely a problem and Using only original photos and first- 15 Neuchâtel Xamax drawn for. The final in May is staged at a Thursdays, are scheduled for 8pm. pay-on-the-day the norm. Cash hand research, taken and undertaken 16 St Gallen showcase stadium, the Stade de Suisse payments are in Swiss francs. Nearly over five seasons, liberoguide.com 17 FC St Gallen in Berne or the Stade de Genève. The Challenge League synchronises all clubs offer advance sales, online has been put together to enhance 18 Sion its July kick-off with the top tier. The and in person. every football weekend and Euro 19 FC Sion Season’s dealings weekly schedule runs from Friday to night experience. From airport to 20 Thun The Swiss Super League starts early, Monday evenings at 7pm and 8pm. A place behind the goals is usually arena, downtown sports bar to hotel, 21 FC Thun usually in late July, even as early as Some Sunday games start at 4pm. The around SF25, prices rising to around liberoguide.com helps you get the best 22 Zürich the third week if it’s a tournament winter break comes a week earlier SF50-SF60 on the sidelines. Home out of your visit to football’s furthest 23 Letzigrund summer the following June. All stops than the Super League’s, everything fans generally have a standing area. corners and showcase stadiums. 24 FC Zürich liberoguide.com 3 SWITZERLAND 2019-20 Basel www.liberoguide.com/basel Basel SBB station tramline for St Jakob, the Radisson BASEL Blu, has a pool and gym. Also central but cheaper, the Stadthof near Barfüsserplatz occupies a landmark building dating back to 1295. By picturesque Rheingasse, the historic Hotel Merian am Rhein has balconied rooms overlooking the river. Hotels surround the SBB station. These include upscale chains such as the Dorint as well as traditional railway hotels such as the Euler, the runs to the main Basel SBB (Swiss rail) Schweizerhof and the Victoria. The station. Tickets are available from the conversion of the venerable Helvetia to desk in Arrivals or the machine at the the self check-in b-smart motel Basel, stop outside the terminal. however, is a sign of the times. Based near St Jakob, Taxi-Zentrale (+41 Beer 61 222 2222) charges SF45 from airport Barfüsserplatz is dotted with to city. restaurants and cafés – the timeless Rio (No.12) the best bar, the beerhall of German trains use Basel Bad station, on Zum Braunen Mutz the best pub.