The eighteenth round of the Challenge League overlaps with the Qatar World Cup. Why even Thun and Will could help.
Legend:
You don’t want to give up on football…
But do you have ethical concerns with Qatar? SFL would have an idea…
Freshfocus/Sports Press Photo
For some Premier League clubs, after 16 out of 36 rounds, expectations and reality match up nicely, while other teams have some catching up to do. This is also reflected in the planning: YB, for example, is taking a month’s break, but training continues in Basel.
The longest winter break in Premier League history comes at just the right time. Since the top Swiss league “only” 9 players had to leave for QatarClubs can – if they want – immediately set their sights on the second part of the season.
The blessing of flexibility
However, this does not apply to Challenge League. Matches will be played there on the opening day of the World Cup and the following weekend. But the second half of the season starts a week later than it does for the Senators. why? Quite simply, the Swiss Football League (SFL) explains: the clubs wanted it that way. If they had adapted to the Premier League schedule, the result would have been English weeks or less weather-appealing matches in January.
The Challenge League does not hinder the matches of the national team (11/24/28/11/2/12). Since match days in the second highest Swiss league run from Friday to Sunday anyway, avoiding a match won’t be a problem.
Even the best matches could have caused clubs to ask for postponements. But they don’t. With one exception: Lausanne and Aarau play the free-to-play TV match of the tour on Sunday afternoon instead of Friday evening. So no longer during England – USA, but Croatia – Canada.
Otherwise, the Thun – Vaduz and Wil – Lausanne-Ouchy Challenge League matches (currently it will be Battle One) will take place around the same time as the preliminary round match between France and Denmark. Isn’t there a concern that football fans would rather relax in front of the TV than go to the stadium? Christian Eriksen against Kylian Mbappe instead of Stockhorn and Bergholz?
The strange story of young Sinaia
Perhaps this is an opportunity, Philipp Gugesberg, the SFL’s head of communications, says with a wink. If all the Swiss football fans thinking of boycotting the World Cup made the pilgrimage to Thun and Wil instead – the stadiums would be full, Guggisberg says.
What if a player from the Challenge League gets the World Cup squad? This scenario, financially exciting for the clubs involved, was not even considered because in recent years no player from the lower Swiss leagues was called up at all. The 2006 World Cup was something special: with Junior Sinaia from Togo, the player who made his living with amateur club Juventus traveled to Germany.
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