Thun ready for voyage into unknown
As well-known soccer personalities queued up to be interviewed by the television people around him, he packed his bags to leave early from the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo.
That was until a UEFA official realised what had happened and went off to persuade him to return and talk about his little Swiss club’s fairytale success in qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition the first time.
“This is all so thrilling, so fantastic for us it is almost unbelievable,” said Weder, the man at the head of a club from a town of 42,000 inhabitants who face experienced European campaigners Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague in Group B.
Thun begin with a trip to Highbury to play Arsenal on September 14.
“I am sure some of our players have never played in England before, maybe never been to London,” said Weder.
“But they are experienced men. They will not be frightened and will do their best.”
He said the team, a collection of journeymen players from all over the world, was well-organised and coached. They include four Brazilians, one of whom had played in Japan, a Cameroon international and an Australian.
Thun stunned observers on Tuesday when they eliminated Swedish former European Cup finalists Malmo 4-0 on aggregate to claim their place in the Champions League proper.
The triumph was a huge boost for the town, Switzerland’s 11th biggest, near Bern, as it fought the floods that hit central and Eastern Europe.
Thun’s stadium was left a metre under water by the storms, but this is unlikely to upset their plans to host Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague since they will play them in Bern’s 32,000-capacity Wankdorf, the new Swiss national stadium.
Weder said: “It is all so new, a new dimension. It is a challenge for us - and a big thrill to go to London.
“Arsenal is a great name in Europe and we are looking forward to that. We will do our best. We have worked hard to get here.”
He said Thun was unlike most other clubs in the Champions League in that they did not have rich owners or any major sponsors.
“We have a club owned by the population, by the people, you could say, so we don’t have any big investors and nobody is in the club with more than 5% of the annual budget,” he said.
He laughed at the idea that the stadium in Bern could accommodate nearly the entire population of Thun, but warned that around 250,000 Swiss fans may want tickets.
“We are the darlings of Switzerland now, you know,” he said.
Meanwhile, UEFA is increasingly concerned criminals may be using football to launder money, either by buying into clubs or gambling on match results.
Chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said the governing body was increasing its efforts to establish the source of the money pouring into the game and to stop European matches being fixed by Asian betting syndicates.
“The whole idea of vast amounts of money coming into football presents us with an alarming situation, one that, because of modern technology like the internet, can cross borders and one that can be very difficult to legislate against.
“There is the possibility that criminal gangs are trying to use soccer as a gigantic money-laundering machine and we have to stop this,” Olsson said.
UEFA has asked the EU to look into the sources of the money entering European football and UEFA’s top officials have met with MPs from the European parliament who work as the ‘Friends of Football’ group.
“Because of the Champions League, the popularity of football has grown significantly, especially in Asia, where in China, Japan and even places like Nepal, it is enormously popular,” UEFA president Lennart Johansson said.
“I have spoken to FIFA president Sepp Blatter about my concerns that drug money and money from other gangsters is coming into football, that bribes are being offered to players and referees and that matches are being used by betting syndicates.
“We recently had a case in Finland involving a club that had just been taken over. We have to be very vigilant but we, as a football authority, only have a limited amount of power.”
The case in Finland involved Allianssi Vantaa, last season’s runners-up, who lost a league match 8-0 to champions Haka Valkeakoski on July 7.
UEFA and Betfair, an English company, also detected irregular betting on last season’s UEFA Cup match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Panionios. Tbilisi led 2-0 at half-time only for Panionios to win the match 5-2.
“For the illegal gamblers and the money launderers, it is a good way to make their money clean,” Olsson said.
“We know they also choose low level matches, in perhaps the German second division for instance, and even if they lose 15% of their money in the gamble, they still get most of it clean, which represents a great result for them.”
Sep 14: Bruges v Juventus, Rapid Vienna v Bayern Munich; Sep 27: Bayern Munich v Bruges, Juventus v. Rapid Vienna; Oct 18: Bayern Munich v Juventus, Rapid Vienna v Bruges; Nov 2: Bruges v Rapid Vienna; Juventus v Bayern Munich; Nov 22: Bayern Munich v Rapid Vienna; Juventus v Bruges; Dec 7: Bruges v Bayern Munich; Rapid Vienna v Juventus.
Sep 14: Arsenal v Thun; Sparta Prague v Ajax; Sep 27: Ajax v Arsenal; Thun v Sparta Prague; Oct 18: Ajax v Thun; Sparta Prague v Arsenal; Nov 2: Arsenal v Sparta Prague; Thun v Ajax; Nov 22: Ajax v Sparta Prague; Thun v Arsenal; Dec 7: Arsenal v Ajax; Sparta Prague v Thun.
Sep 14: Udinese v Panathinaikos; Werder Bremen v Barcelona; Sep 27: Barcelona v Udinese; Panathinaikos v Werder Bremen; Oct 18: Panathinaikos v Barcelona; Udinese v Werder Bremen Nov 2: Barcelona v Panathinaikos; Werder Bremen v Udinese; Nov 22: Barcelona v Werder Bremen; Panathinaikos v Udinese; Dec 7: Udinese v Barcelona; Werder Bremen v Panathinaikos.
Sep 14: Benfica v Lille; Villarreal v Manchester Utd; Sep 27: Lille v Villarreal; Manchester Utd v Benfica; Oct 18: Manchester Utd v Lille; Villarreal v Benfica; Nov 2: Benfica v Villarreal; Lille v Manchester Utd; Nov 22: Lille v Benfica; Manchester Utd v Villarreal; Dec 7: Benfica v Manchester Utd; Villarreal v Lille.
Sep 28: Fenerbahce v PSV Eindhoven; Schalke v AC Milan; Oct 19: AC Milan v PSV Eindhoven; Fenerbahce v Schalke; Nov 1: PSV Eindhoven v AC Milan; Schalke v Fenerbahce; Nov 23: Fenerbahce v AC Milan; Schalke v PSV Eindhoven; Dec 6: AC Milan v Schalke; PSV Eindhoven v Fenerbahce.
Sep 13: Olympiakos v Rosenborg; Lyon v Real Madrid; Sep 28: Real Madrid v Olympiakos; Rosenborg v Lyon; Oct 19: Lyon v Olympiakos; Real Madrid v Rosenborg; Nov 1: Olympiakos v Lyon; Rosenborg v Real Madrid; Nov 23: Real Madrid v Lyon; Rosenborg v Olympiakos; Dec 6: Olympiakos v Real Madrid; Lyon v Rosenborg.
Sep 13: Chelsea v Anderlecht; Real Betis v Liverpool; Sep 28: Anderlecht v Real Betis; Liverpool v Chelsea; Oct 19: Anderlecht v Liverpool; Chelsea v Real Betis; Nov 1: Liverpool v Anderlecht; Real Betis v Chelsea Nov 23: Anderlecht v Chelsea; Liverpool v Real Betis; Dec 6: Chelsea v Liverpool; Real Betis v Anderlecht.
Sep 13: Artmedia Bratislava v Inter Milan; Rangers v Porto; Sep 28: Porto v Artmedia Bratislava; Inter Milan v Rangers; Oct 19: Porto v Inter Milan; Rangers v Artmedia Bratislava; Nov 1: Artmedia Bratislava v Rangers; Inter Milan v Porto; Nov 23: Porto v Rangers; Inter Milan v Artmedia Bratislava; Dec 6: Artmedia Bratislava v Porto; Rangers v Inter Milan.
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