Dismissal of Sandy Maendly: the president's revelations

“It was a difficult decision. It was carefully thought through and we took it with a lot of perspective.” Yoann Brigante agreed to come back, for us, to the reasons which pushed Servette Chênois to fire sports director Sandy Maendly. “But, contrary to what she wrote on social networks, she was not thanked with “immediate effect”, specifies the president of the SFCCF, aware that he had to part with a person admired by many Genevans. “We simply chose to go in another direction. But nothing will ever take away everything she has done for the club.

“Even internally, we are not always aware of what is happening in the offices,” declared Sandrine Mauron the day after the surprise announcement of the dismissal of the sports director, just before the last match of the year. (read framed). The Geneva manager explains what went wrong: “In recent months, we realized that there were divergences in terms of collaboration with the group's key partners. We were no longer necessarily aligned on the way we wanted to structure the development of the team.” Discussions discussing points to change and improve with a view to better synergy had already taken place with Sandy Maendly at the end of the summer. Obviously, they have not borne enough fruit.

The position of sports director is a key role in the development of Servette Chênois. “We expect this person to be in tune with the teams, not only sporting but also technical and administrative,” explains Yoann Brigante. To achieve the objectives and aim for the heights, fluid communication and total collaboration with all partners are required. “This is what made the garnet model successful in other sports, and this is what must be the basis of ours,” underlines the president of the SFCCF. Even if it means parting with a Servettian icon.

This dismissal is not intended to deny all the work done by Sandy Maendly since she hung up her boots. But it is part of a desire to always make the club progress. “These few points of disagreement have been difficult to correct and it has affected the ability to move forward cohesively as a group. Unfortunately, sometimes that's how we grow up. This decision was taken for the good of Servette FCCF,” summarizes Yoann Brigante.

Sandy Maendly, “who remains and will remain a legend of the club” according to the president's words, is neither the first nor the last person to pay the price for the ambitions of the garnet group. Patrick Emond, who guided the GSHC to the play-off final in spring 2021, Alain Geiger, who led Servette FC to a place as vice-champion of Switzerland, Éric Sévérac, who led the SFCCF from the LNB to the group stage of the Champions League all had to leave the ship. “The club always comes first in all our decisions. The garnet project comes before everyone else.”

On the networks, this eviction was quite criticized. The former Swiss international had agreed to return to play in the LNB to help her favorite club reach the roof of Switzerland and made a lot of sacrifices for her colors. “Before being fans of this or that person, Servetti fans are above all supporters of the Garnet,” explains the manager. The important thing is that the club continues to develop. It’s up to us now to show that it was a good decision and to convince them with the results.” Author of the Cup-championship double last season, the SFCCF will therefore have to continue to dominate Swiss football, progress on the European scene, while bringing young Geneva players from the Academy to the first team. A hell of a challenge and a big responsibility for the one who will succeed Sandy Maendly.

The misfortune of one person makes the happiness of others. Marta Peiro, who until now served as Team Manager of Servette Chênois, is promoted to sports director. She arrived at the end of the lake in the summer of 2020 as a player. Suffering from endometriosis, the 26-year-old Spaniard, however, had to resolve to hang up her crampons for good at the end of 2022. “She is a unifying and very committed person. I was able to see on several occasions that, thanks to her skills and knowledge, Marta was also very comfortable in the offices, from an administrative point of view.” Yoann Brigante is convinced, the former striker will shine in her new role. “It’s a rough diamond that we’re going to polish until another, more upscale club comes and steals it from us.” Even in its offices, the garnet group wants to serve as a springboard to help those who make it up to achieve the moon.

Sports results are obviously not the reason for Sandy Maendly's ouster, even if the Garnets failed to shine on the European scene. “The results of this first part of the season are positive,” notes the president. We are leading the championship, even if Basel has a game in hand.” The three defeats conceded in the regular season, as many as in the last three years? “The level of the league has increased significantly, some teams have become more competitive. So it’s more and more difficult to stay at the top.” Basel, Young Boys and St. Gallen can now compete with Zurich the SFCCF. And even the “small” teams have grown, offering a more competitive regular championship than in recent years.