Rescue bid for FC Lucerne
Local authorities in Lucerne have offered to bail out top division football club FC Lucerne, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.
On Thursday, the Central Swiss city announced it would be prepared to act as financial guarantor for the ailing club in the event that directors were unable to raise the necessary cash from other sources.
Authorities say the sum of SFr 2 million is needed to ensure salaries can be paid and to guarantee the club does not have to file for bankruptcy before the end of the current football season.
A special task force, headed by the mayor of Lucerne, Urs Studer, and a member of the Swiss Senate, Ueli Fässler, has been set up in an attempt to find donors willing to assist with the club’s financial recovery.
If the task force fails to find any organisations or individuals willing to support a financial restructuring of the club, the city and casino of Lucerne could step in and provide the necessary financial guarantee to ensure the 100-year-old club does not have to close down.
swissinfo with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.