FC Sion, defeated 2-0 by Lugano, will not play in the final of the 2024 Swiss Cup. Its president Christian Constantin only very moderately appreciated the referee’s performance. “It’s scandalous and a shame.”
Christian Constantin (president of FC Sion): Both teams had a 12th man. We had the public, Lugano had the referee. This referee should give way to younger people who have potential instead of distorting competitions. I think that if it wasn’t 2-0 on the unjustified penalty, we could have continued on our line from the first half… We could have seen a real Cup match.
I can’t fault my team. She showed a lot of commitment and made good combinations. The referee distorted the game. He has reached his threshold. It’s scandalous and a shame…
We should have scored on our first action (editor’s note: 3rd minute, big chance from Sorgic). We didn’t have success on our side… The public responded. Matia Croci-Torti said to me after the game: fortunately our goalkeeper kept us in the match because you were clearly better than us in the first half.
Ali Kabacalman (FC Sion midfielder): The atmosphere was magnificent. We hope that the public will return for the last matches of the season at home. We will really need them… We delivered a big match and put one of the best teams in the country in difficulty. This is extremely positive for the end of the Challenge League championship.
Injustice? Yes there is. Without VAR, referees make mistakes. We, players, do it too. Unfortunately, it was against us. It’s like that. We created the chances to score 1-0. It didn’t fit. That’s the high level. Lugano imposed a pace that we are not used to every weekend. I think we responded.
Joël Schmid (FC Sion defender): Our first 20 minutes were exceptional. It’s a frustrating defeat. If we had scored first, the game would have been completely different. Lugano is a technically very strong team. Regarding the referee, Urs Schnyder is one of the best in the country. Tonight, I didn’t completely agree on a few situations. When there is no VAR, you have to be 100% certain when you call a penalty. Because at 2-0, the match is over. We can’t change anything anymore… We tried despite everything to score, but it didn’t work. Now we are focusing on the Super League championship.
>> Also read:: Deprived of the final, Sion comes out with his head held high against an a”var”e Lugano
Sion, Miguel Bao
