The Stockhorn Arena was very empty on Thursday evening for Lugano’s entry into the Conference League. The handful of Ticino ultras were matched by a hundred Helsinki supporters. The parking lot reserved for the Finns seemed even better stocked than the local supporters’ kop. Too bad for an FCL which, despite its excellent performances for several seasons in the championship, is already struggling to attract crowds to its Cornaredo. It mainly suffers from competition from hockey, much more popular in Ticino.
So, when you have to cross a good part of Switzerland to reach, at the end of a 250 kilometer journey, the Stockhorn Arena in Thun, what’s more on a Thursday evening, there aren’t many volunteers left. Even for a European meeting. According to the official figure, 932 spectators attended the Ticino’s 3-0 victory against Helsinki. Suffice it to say that many Challenge League matches, and even certain Promotion League matches, attract more people.
And as long as the Cornaredo is under construction, that is to say until 2026, the Ticinese will have to evolve outside their base in the European Cup. Even before the work, their stadium did not meet UEFA standards. They have therefore systematically had to go into exile in recent years to play their European matches. And since there is no stadium worthy of the name in Ticino, this means long journeys each time.
It was at the Letzigrund in Zurich that the Luganese played the group stage of the Conference League last fall. During the 2019/2020 Europa League, the Ticino team headed to eastern Switzerland, in this case to St. Gallen, for their three “home” Europa League group matches.
A Kybunpark in which FC Zurich has also taken up residence for certain European parties, despite the Letzigrund’s compliance with UEFA standards. Indeed, as Europa League and Conference League matches are generally played on Thursdays, it has happened on several occasions that an FCZ match is scheduled for the same day as the Weltklasse. In this case, priority at the athletics meeting! This situation occurred for the last time on September 8, 2022 with the reception of Arsenal.
As for FC Sion, it had to move for one evening to the Geneva stadium on August 3, 2017, against FK Suduva, as part of a qualifying match for the Europa League. The reason? Complete repair work on the Tourbillon lawn. Despite the 1-1 won on the lands of their rivals on the banks of the Rhône, the Sédunois did not go further that season in Europe. They had in fact paid for their 3-0 defeat in the first leg in Lithuania.
