Switzerland. Domestic concerns, primeraly: it was difficult to adjust to harsh reality. The country would not support demands of modern football. It was plain to see in the championship: perhaps only 11 clubs in the top league were relatively fine, the rest were clearly weaker. And among the better ones there was rather weakening of the usual top clubs. Since there was no limitless cash and the national pool of players was small, no club was actually able to build truly great squad. Experiments with the championship structure were already tried and did not work. Return to traditional leagues was not working either… impasse. In the past the limited domestic pool was helped by imports – never great, but at least Swiss clubs were able to get good players in good numbers. Now even this sourse was cut short – other countries offered better prospects to foreign players, so options shrunk and what was left was mostly veterans – Xamax went up partly thanks to his foreign imports, but Stielike was here only to play his last games in peace and Don Givens was practically forgotten now, having his best time a good 10 years earlier. It was a sad comment on the state of Swiss football that Xamax went to the top with such help.
It was worse in the second level: only 4 teams were quite decent and the rest… just made the numbers.
Winterthur was one of those making the numbers – once upon a time a solid top-league member, now – 6th with 31 points in Second Division. Top row from left: Viktor Frank (President), Thomas Unseld, Reto Arrigoni, M. Haller, Mauro Bunkofer, Ulrich Tschanz, Ernst Rief (Masseur).
Middle row: Dr. Bruno Peter (doctor), Thomas Staub, Urs Egli, Hans Franz, Daniel Haefeli, Christian Schleiffer, Hans Kodric (coach).
Sitting: Vladimir Jakovljev, Kevin Streule, Walter Christinger, Stephan Lehmann, Rafael Chèlos, Rolf Müller.
Chiaso was above them – 5th with 35 points – but they were not match to the leaders either. Only 4 teams were really stronger and possibly near the first division teams. Chenois ended 4th with 41 points.
FC Lugano ended 3rd with 43 points. Jure Jerkovic was playing his last days in it – arguably, the only well known name in the league this season.
AC Bellinzona lost the battle for first place on worse goal-difference, finishing with 45 points.
FC Locarno clinched the Second Division title thanks to better goal-difference: they had 45 points like Bellinzona – 20 wins, 5 ties, 5 losses, 96-33. Great scorers, no doubt about it, and they provided the club with +63, twice better than Bellinzona’s +34. Crouching from left: Michele Volentik, Enrico Giani, Mauro Benzoni, Armando Rossi, Michele Nicora, William Fornera, Thomas Bachofner, Carlo Bianchi – masseur.
Middle row: Antonio Chiandussi – coach, Claudio Gilardi, Jean-Jacques Frutiger, Winfried Kurz, Michele Pedrazzini – president, Caryl Facchinetti, Nazzareno Zanoli, Augusto Favero, Sandro Molnar – assistant coach.
Top row: Pierluigi Tami, Fabio Chiappa, Bertrand de Coulon, Mauro Alini, Michel Guillaume, Bruno Abaecherli.
In general terms, the final standing was a trimph of attacking football over defensive one – Bellinzona excelled in cautious, defensive-minded game and lost only 3 games, but they scored rarely as a consequence – but it hardly mattered. The important thing was promotion and both Bellinzona and Locarno went up.