The FC Thun footballers celebrated their first championship title in style on Friday. Thousands of fans braved the rainy, chilly weather to celebrate their team.
The party began in the afternoon in front of the Visana Stadium, where two open trucks were available for players and supporters. To the sounds of the disco classic "Freed from Desire", the procession set off at 4.15 pm, accompanied by hundreds of fans who made their way towards the city center.
The first team was gathered on the open loading area of one of the trucks; among the players who were particularly keen to celebrate were captain Marco Bürki, defender Michael Heule and YB loanee Kastriot Imeri. Other players took it easy - just like the staff on the second truck with coach Mauro Lustrinelli and club president Andres Gerber.
Thousands flocked to the Stadthofplatz in Bälliz for the official championship celebrations. The program included speeches by city president Raphael Lanz and club president Gerber. However, the presentation of the players took center stage. "They have all made themselves immortal," assured the speaker at the start of the parade.
Champion bus on the road
The first party was held on the evening of May 3, when the championship title was confirmed. Since then, the "FC Thun Bernese Oberland" emblem has been omnipresent in the cityscape. A special champion bus operated by the STI transport company runs in the club's colors, and on Lake Thun, the FCT flags flutter in the wind on the scheduled boats.
Thun has a lot to celebrate at the moment. The championship title despite a mini-budget made headlines across Europe. In March, Mayor Lanz became the first Thun mayor to be elected to the cantonal government in almost 100 years. And on Thursday, Veronica Fusaro from Thun was in the spotlight - although she failed to reach the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
