Championnat switch appeals to Servette
Friday 22nd March 2002
Servette president Michel Coencas has confirmed that he will speak to Swiss National League chiefs in Berne to dicuss the possibility of his club joining the first division in France. "Servette would have everything to gain," said SNL director Edmond Isoz.
The news emerged on Friday, when club presidents were due to vote on a major overhaul of the Swiss league.
Coencas would like to take advantage of the Geneva club's new 30,000-seater stadium, which will be completed later this year, to switch to a more lucrative league - albeit not in the immediate future.
Coencas, who is French, has launched a feasability study. The move, if it were to happen, would provide a massive windfall for Servette, given the amount of money French clubs receive through the sale of television rights.He believes the presence of Monaco in the French first division sets a precedent.
He has confirmed that he is to have talks in Berne with league chiefs to "test the water".
But Servette fans will have to wait some time before they witness the first
local derby against Lyon. The switching of a club to a championship not in its own country is not allowed under Uefa regulations.
Isoz acknowledged that, with the free movement of labour in Europe, supranational leagues cannot be discounted. backed Coencas' efforts. He said: "Servette would have everything to gain from such a move. It's in the hands of the politicians. Everything depends on whether they want to protect the national game."
The implications of any move could have a severe knock-on effect in Switzerland, as Grasshoppers or Basel may be tempted to join the Bundesliga and Lugano may want to take part in Serie B.
