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Andy Mueller / freshfocus
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1/5
Had a lot to cheer: Robin Figren (left) and top scorer Eric Faille.
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Claudio Thoma / freshfocus
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2/5
But now it’s over: Romano Lemm (ending his career) and Kloten can no longer make the ascent in sport.
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Claudio Thoma / freshfocus
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3/5
Kloten coach Per Hanberg has to be patient. The season was canceled because of the corona virus.
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Andy Mueller / freshfocus
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4/5
Kloten won the qualification and quarter-finals against the GCK Lions.
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Manuel Geisser
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5/5
The aviators have been playing in the Swiss League for two years.
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If you drive through the Zurich lowlands, you cannot miss them. The blue, white and red flags on balconies and windows with “Kloten Attack” printed on them. The club gave away 300 pieces after the semi-finals. Now they can be rolled up again. Kloten can no longer attack. The season is over. The dream of ascent burst. Or not?
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On Friday, the club bosses at the league meeting in Ittigen BE must not only decide whether they want to choose a champion. There is also the question of one or even two possible promoters. Only qualifying winners would be Kloten and Visp. “We will represent our interests objectively and neutrally,” says Kloten managing director Pascal Signer. “We will present an application to the league that maintains our chances of advancement. We owe it to our colors. »
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«Extremely hard blow»
In plain language: Kloten is aiming to climb the green table. “From a sporting point of view, dropping out of the championship is an extremely hard blow for us. We got into a good starting position, won the qualification, survived the quarter-finals and could have entered the semi-finals without injury, »continued Signer. «But of course we understand the decision. For us it’s about points and money. The corona virus for human life. It is important to protect them. »
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There were a few reasons to let Kloten rise. Zurich won 38 out of 49 games this year and delight an entire region. 4809 fans attend the games on average. That is more than in Davos (4444) and Rapperswil-Jona (4050). However, if you listen to the league, Kloten’s chances are minimal.
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Rejection by the competition
«The game plans have long been made. In addition, Kloten did not achieve the rise in sporting terms, »says an influential manager. Another refers to the TV money, which would have to be divided by 13 teams in the future if the EHC Kloten were promoted, with which the clubs would lose around CHF 200,000. Probably the main reason why an ascent of Kloten falls on deaf ears.
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In order to get through with the application, Zurich residents would need a three-quarter majority. «I expect a decision at the league meeting. These need to be respected and accepted. No matter how it turns out, »says Signer. So there will be no weeks of hacking.
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Financial damage immense
The early end of the season brought Kloten a loss in sales of CHF 1 million. Signer says: “If we had reached the final and played three home games each, we would have been able to present a balanced annual result. The damage now is immense. » However, it was still too early to quantify it. “We have said goodbye to patronage and will now have to have many conversations.”
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