New Owner of Grasshoppers: Bridge Football Group Takes Over from Los Angeles FC

Fan protest and mood against LAFC

Part of the backstory is a memorable home match against Luzern, at which supporters displayed a banner reading "Fuck off LAFC." The protest erupted just one week after the cup semifinal defeat against the lower-division club Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. The mood toward the previous owner was apparently beyond saving after that.

In a statement, Bridge Football Group emphasizes: "Die Bridge Football Group ist sich der Verantwortung, die mit der Übernahme einer solchen Institution einhergeht, vollumfänglich bewusst." The investor group around Deléchat also formulates concrete goals for the traditional club, which has existed for more than 139 years.

Goals of the new owner

Deléchat himself stated: "Es geht hierbei nicht um schnelle Ergebnisse oder kurzfristige Entscheide. Es geht darum, ein starkes Fundament für die kommenden Jahre zu legen. Wir werden nicht von Beginn weg alles richtig machen, aber unser Engagement ist aufrichtig, langfristig und hat das Beste für den Grasshopper Club Zürich im Sinn." He added: "Unser Ziel ist es, einen stabilen und wettbewerbsfähigen Klub aufzubauen, in junge Spieler zu investieren, den GC-Campus vollumfänglich zu nutzen, die Verbindung zur GCZ-Community zu stärken und ein Umfeld zu schaffen, in dem die Menschen wieder stolz auf den Grasshopper Club Zürich sein können."

Bridge Football Group is no unknown quantity in international football. The group already holds a majority stake in Dutch second-division side FC Den Bosch, in Italian Serie C club Pro Vercelli, as well as in Chinese second-division side Shaanxi Union FC. Grasshopper Club Zurich is to serve in future as the flagship of this network.

Departure of sporting director Sutter

As an immediate consequence of the change of ownership, sporting director Alain Sutter has to vacate his post. His departure was confirmed on Tuesday morning by the club's media spokesman in response to a query from NZZ. Sutter had previously lobbied on Blue for the previous owner to stay: "Wir wollen, dass Los Angeles bleibt."

Sportingly, GC had only narrowly qualified for the European competitions via the play-off in each of the past three seasons. The new leadership will therefore be called upon not only financially but also sportingly to set the course for a better future.

The Grasshoppers, 27-time Swiss champions, are thus entering a new era. Deléchat's group wants to set up the club as stable, sustainable and competitive, while preserving identity, values and traditions. It now falls to those responsible to follow words with deeds.