GC has once again saved itself from relegation to the Challenge League in the barrage. At a media conference, sporting director Alain Sutter and Harald Gärtner outline the record champions' plans for the future.
Alain Sutter is presented as the new GC sporting director a month ago, in the middle of the relegation battle. If coach Tomas Oral is to be believed, the new hopeful will immediately play an important role on the way to staying in the league. "I have to thank Alain (Sutter) because he has done a huge job in such a short time. He brought a bear-like calm," says Oral after the barrage against Aarau and enthuses: "Alain knew immediately which levers he had to pull. From one day to the next, there was a different calm."
On Wednesday, Sutter will now appear before the media together with Harald Gärtner, European Director of LAFC's American investors, to explain the strategy at the record champions. One thing is clear: Sutter will be under particular pressure in the coming days and weeks. The Swiss record champions, who narrowly avoided relegation for the second time in a row via the barrage, are once again in a state of upheaval.
No fewer than 16 players' contracts are due to expire. Coach Tomas Oral, who took over from Marco Schällibaum at the Hoppers last November, is also no longer employed. However, Sutter emphasized that the 52-year-old German is definitely a candidate for the coaching position. "Together with the coaching staff, Tomas has done a great job in the difficult last few weeks. He has left a very good impression on me.
Building a foundation
For Harald Gärtner, the European manager of GC owners Los Angeles FC, it is clear which path GC should take. "The club must have a very strong foundation to build on." Alain Sutter and his ideas are in demand as the master builder of this foundation.
"We want to build something here in a healthy way," explains Sutter, emphasizing: "We will have one of the three smallest budgets in the league, but that makes the task exciting for me." The aim is to get the maximum out of what is available.
For Sutter, the new project is also an affair of the heart; after all, he made his professional debut for GC in 1985 and played over 200 games for the Zurich club until 1993. However, times have changed. "In my time as a player at GC, we were the top club in Switzerland. We had the most money at our disposal."
Sutter is bothered by the fact that the club is still measured by its successful past. "GC is always measured by its name, by its tradition. That's the way it is, we face up to it. But we have to look reality in the eye." And that is: "Bake smaller rolls." We'll do it the same way we did when I was at St. Gallen: Sign players that others don't have on their radar. Give them confidence and develop them further."
Economic pressure
Sutter also knows that the investors in the USA are interested in ensuring that the club does not continue to run deficits. "The owners want to see that we are creating something that is going in the right direction." He is aware of the big challenge. "I know what I've let myself in for and that it won't be easy. The past has proven that: There have been many good people here, but no one has managed to get GC back on the road to success. It is therefore not a matter of course that we will succeed."
It is important for Sutter that the decision-making authority lies with him. "Anyone who knows me knows that I would never accept a job if I wasn't allowed to make decisions," Sutter clarifies. "It was clear to everyone: if I come, I decide. That was also what LA wanted. The Board of Directors simply wants to be informed."
Harald Gärtner speaks of a "long and rocky road". Shaping change takes time and patience. However, he emphasizes: "We have the stamina to guide the club in the right direction." And Alain Sutter adds: "Our task is to create values and inspire people with the way GC plays football."
The media conference in the ticker
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All questions have been answered
The media conference is over.
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Bayern legend Thomas Müller to GC?
"Thomas Müller is on a shelf that we don't even see. That's out of touch with reality. We don't need to talk about things like that here at GC," says Sutter.
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Sutter is clear
"We have to win the trust of LA with our work," explains Sutter. It is logical that the economic aspect plays a role for the owners. "We should stop always looking to Los Angeles. We have to take responsibility here in Zurich. It's up to us to get people excited about GC again. Then I'm convinced that the owners will continue to do so for a long time."
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A rocky road
"Improvements have gone under the radar. Be it youth or commerce. We will develop steadily and slowly upwards. A house is also built from the bottom up. Another example would be a marathon. We are at the 10-kilometer mark. But we were already struggling on this one," says Gärtner. Sutter adds: "It doesn't all run by itself just because I'm here. There were already very good people here before, but even they couldn't change it."
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What happens next with Tomas Oral?
"We've decided that he'll go home for a while and I'll also let everything settle. Then we'll sit down together," says Sutter. As things stand, Oral is no longer under contract. "Then you have to think about what happens next. I'm in that process now." The advantage in this respect is that he has already been able to get to know Oral in recent weeks. "He has done an incredibly good job with his staff. I've come to appreciate him enormously. We quickly found a connection with each other. We've built up a level of trust that normally takes years."
That's why Oral could also be GC coach next season. "He left a very good impression on me," says Sutter.
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That's why Sutter recently sat on the GC substitutes' bench
"I was too supportive on the bench. I'm of the opinion that I don't belong on the bench. But it was Tomas Oral's wish. I tried to help everyone in this difficult situation."
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Gärtner explains the change of sporting director from Schwarz to Sutter at the beginning of May
"We've learned a lot in the last few months. It was then clear to us that we had to change the sporting director in order to make a change, as he shapes the team for the next season," says Gärtner.
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Big challenge
"It won't be any easier next season," Sutter makes clear. "But I'm looking forward to the task. There are a lot of good people at GC." He has heard time and again that the head of sport at GC is not allowed to make decisions. "Anyone who knows me knows that I would never accept a job if I wasn't allowed to make decisions," Sutter clarifies. "It was clear to everyone: if I come, I decide. That was also what LA wanted. The Board of Directors simply wants to be informed." For this reason, he never wants to read again that he has no decision-making power as GC Head of Sport.
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Sutter sees a lot of passion from the owners
"It's a new era that has begun. A new reality and we are moving into it. We are dealing with it very constructively," says Sutter. "In the last few weeks, I've seen how much passion the owners have for GC." The owners are very interested in GC, and Sutter does not believe that criticism in this regard is appropriate: "I've seen Harald more than my wife in recent weeks. I also have regular contact with Stacy and John. They are incredibly interested in GC."
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Sutter on his task
"Our job will be to show the owners that we can make a difference here and that we're heading in the right direction. If we can do that, if we can get people excited again, then I am absolutely convinced that the owners will continue to invest in sensible investments." You can't sit in a made net, he says. "That makes it super exciting," says Sutter. They want to put together a young team, many contracts will expire. "There will be a very young team. We want to try and sign players who are not on the radar of other clubs."
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Sutter takes the floor
"An important motivation was that I sensed from the owners that they were serious about GC and had a long-term plan," says Sutter about his decision to take over as head of sport. He was given a clear budget: "We will have one of the smallest budgets in the league next year. That makes it exciting for me. It shows that L.A. has understood that money alone cannot buy success."
What appeals to Sutter about his new role is making as much as possible out of as little as possible. "When I was a player here, GC was a top address. But we also had the biggest budget at that time and were able to sign top players from all over the country. Those times have clearly changed. This sense of reality is very important - and that we set an example."
![Head of Sport Alain Sutter, right, and Harald Gärtner talk about GC's plans for the future.]()
Head of Sport Alain Sutter, right, and Harald Gärtner talk about GC's plans for the future. Picture: Keystone -
Urech introduces himself
The new Chief Business Officer Christoph Urech introduces himself: "Harald and I know each other from our time at Thun. We've been through a difficult time there in recent years, which is similar to the current situation at GC." He continues: "I want to provide impetus, incorporate local conditions and put as many things into practice as possible."
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Change takes time
Gärtner emphasizes that GC is full of drive, but that a change will take time - especially after the last few difficult years. "You can't just forget the last 16 years," says Gärtner. However, the foundations are right. "We are back in the city of Zurich. That was very important to us. We have increased ticket income by 30 percent. Merch revenue has also risen," says Gärtner. They have a vision for the future: "The future of the club is to position our own young talent."
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Review of the past season
A lot was learned last year. "We had hoped to be better than last season. We knew that we would hit a few valleys this season," says Gärtner. "Before the winter, we were one place off the barrage with Tomas Oral. But after nine games without defeat, we got into trouble. Since Alain arrived, we've stabilized again."
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Gärtner excuses Stacy Johns
The president is not present. "I would like to apologize to Stacy. She was here for the barrage, but because LA had a game, she can't be here before the upcoming Club World Cup," explains Gärtner.
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A new face
Christoph Urech is moving to GC as Chief Business Officer and is also a new member of the Hoppers' Board of Directors. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors at FC Thun.
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Off we go
Alain Sutter and Harald Gärtner are here. The media conference begins.
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Hello ...
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