Posted Feb 18, 2023 7:52pm
Switzerland: These football clubs in trouble because of Covid aid
The federal government announced in autumn that it wanted to reclaim CHF 4 million from the Swiss professional clubs. FC Basel may have to do without a million. An outcome in court is not excluded.
Football clubs in particular received help because they could no longer accommodate an audience during the Covid pandemic. (illustrative image)
Tamedia AG
The federal government announced this autumn that the Super League and Challenge League clubs would have to reimburse a total of around 4 million francs in connection with the Covid aid distributed in 2021. Who should reimburse what? For the time being, no one dares to name or details, noted Saturday “Switzerland at the weekend”. Nevertheless, the German-language weekly newspaper had access to reports on the activities of certain clubs.
They indicate how much public money has been raised and give an order of magnitude of what executives may have to pay back. At FC Basel it is 1.15 million, at FC St. Gallen 780,000 francs and at FC Luzern 160,000. In the Challenge League, the clubs Thun and Wil received 343,000 and 100,000 francs respectively.
FC Thun in danger
The Bern club, relegated in 2020, already has a structural deficit of more than one million. The return of the money received threatens the existence of the association, we learn in the German-language newspaper. FC Basel would also be in trouble if it had to go to the cash register. The federal government has commissioned Swiss Olympic to find a solution to reclaim the money from the clubs concerned. It cannot be ruled out that the application by the Federal Office for Sport (BASPO) will be disputed and the case will be brought before the court in the extension.
refund this year
The Confederation believes that professional football clubs have not used certain so-called “Lost Funds” of Covid relief for what they were intended for, namely to compensate for losses directly related to the pandemic. Investments would have been made with this money to fund women’s teams and youth development, areas that would normally have to be supported by each club’s activities. A total of 42.5 million was distributed. Around 4 million deemed “diverted” by the BASP are now being federally claimed and should be reimbursed later in the year.
Don’t miss any news
To stay informed about your favorite topics and not miss any news, subscribe to our newsletter and receive the most important information of the day directly in your mailbox.
(jba)