GC spares numerous players for the barrage against Aarau, causing a match cancellation in the 1st division. The Hoppers' U21 team will not be playing there because most of the players are in action in the Super League in Lausanne.
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- The Grasshoppers are resting numerous players ahead of the barrage against FC Aarau and are therefore relying mainly on U21 players in Lausanne.
- As a result, the GC U21 match against FC Courtételle in the 1st division is canceled, which has a direct impact on the promotion battle.
- The background to the unusual planning is the early barrage due to a Metallica concert at the Letzigrund.
The air is thick in the 1st division: FC Langenthal and FC Courtételle are fighting for promotion to the Promotion League. Only two points separate the two teams in the battle for second place. But Courtételle (3rd) are in danger of losing touch. In the 28th round, they have to play the leaders.
Or maybe not. Because Saturday's match against Zurich Grasshopper U21, who are top of the table, has been called off. The reason: the Hoppers' up-and-coming talents won't even be playing. They are needed on Saturday in the Super League in Lausanne.
GC will line up there with 11 changes to the starting eleven compared to the game against Winterthur. With an average age of 20 years and 338 days, this is the youngest starting eleven of any team in the history of the Super League. The 3:1 win in Lausanne was impressive proof that the youngsters have what it takes.
Peter Zeidler did without the majority of the first team because they were already playing the crucial first leg of the barrage away at Aarau on Monday. "We had no other choice. I understand that the other opponents are annoyed. But everyone would have done the same as Grasshoppers," Zeidler told blue Sport.
The focus is on the barrage game on Monday. "We can't take the other teams into consideration. We have to look at ourselves. And if we want to have a chance in the barrage, we can't play with the same players today. That's simply not possible."
The first leg of the barrage should actually have taken place on Wednesday next week and the second leg on Saturday. But because Metallica will be providing the music on May 27 at the Letzigrund Stadium, which will be sold out by then, the two games have been brought forward by two days. The set-up work for this concert takes time.
Courtétel is also annoyed
And so the GC managers decided to call up the U21s for the game in Lausanne. According to the league, it was informed by the Grasshoppers on Friday "that GC will not play the match of the 28th matchday of Group 2 of the 1st Division Classic on May 16, 2026 against FC Courtételle."
The match was therefore canceled. "The corresponding sanctions, which will be decided by the First Division Committee, will be communicated to the Zurich club at the beginning of next week," it continued.
Sending the U19s to the U21 match would also have been problematic for GC. This is because the latter was playing the second leg of the U-19 Elite play-off quarter-final against Lucerne (1:1) on Saturday.
Should the canceled match in the 1st division now be scored with a 3-0 forfeit, Courtételle would at least hold a promotion place until Sunday. FC Langenthal will then host SC Buochs and could regain their 2-point lead with a win.
But Courtételle are also annoyed about the match being called off. "It means our fans miss out on the top match and we miss out on ticket sales and catering. We're a small club and it's unfortunate that this has come from the biggest club in Switzerland. For me, winning is secondary," club president Vincent Jolidon told radio station RFJ.
