The most expensive Swiss team ever

As the national football team prepares to play in the World Cup in Brazil, the International Centre for Sports Studies in Neuchâtel reveals that this is the most expensive team in the history of Swiss football. (SRF 10vor10, swissinfo.ch)

Raffaele Poli is the head of the football observatory section of the International Centre for Sports Studies in Neuchâtel. He has calculated that the value of the Swiss national team that will hit the fields of Brazil would total CHF159 million ($177 million).

This increase in value is due to the fact that many Swiss play in the big leagues abroad. Not only do they get better paid, but in the process acquire a higher market value.

The downside of this increased significance of footballers’ market value is that clubs might tend to speculate on players, buying and selling them in order to turn a profit and not acting in the best interests of the club.