Zurich outraged by giant FCZ graffiti on historic wall
An example of graffiti by FCZ supporters, photographed in District 4, through which supporters pass on their way to Letzigrund stadium.
RTS - Valentin Jordil
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Zurich outraged by giant FCZ graffiti on historic wall
For years the streets of Zurich have been a playground for fans of Swiss football club FC Zürich (FCZ), who leave their mark in the form of stickers, tags and graffiti. However, things really kicked off after a giant tag recently appeared on the listed wall of the Lindenhof.
The three blue letters “FCZ” now stretch across this archaeological site dating from Celtic times, visible from the banks of the Limmat. The graffiti appeared last week and provoked outrage from the authorities. Filippo Leutenegger, the city councillor responsible for sports, expressed his dismay to TeleZüriExternal link: “Such a beautiful city. Such primitive graffiti.”
The city authorities have lodged a complaint and plan to remove the tag in the next few days, using a specialist company.
Club president Ancillo Canepa reacted in a videoExternal link by calling for an end to these acts, although he made no specific mention of the Lindenhof tag. He referred to the numerous cleaning bills recently received by the club from property owners but said the club, which plays in the top Swiss Super League, had not paid them.
The worst affected areas are District 3 and 4, on the way to the Letzigrund stadium. No surface has been spared: façades, street furniture, everything. The annual cost of cleaning is estimated at CHF2.6 million ($3 million) for the city and private owners.
More
More
Swiss railways uses drones against graffiti sprayers
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways has been using drones in the fight against graffiti sprayers since the beginning of July.
This vandalism sometimes takes dangerous forms, as in Bremgarten, Aargau, where a man seriously injured himself removing an FCZ sticker concealing a razor blade.
Faced with this situation, local politicians from the Radical-Liberal Party have tabled an urgent postulate calling for measures to be taken against football clubs, going so far as to propose the suspension of subsidies or playing permits if clubs fail to take action against vandalism. They cite as an example the agreement with McDonald’s, which cleans up the public space in front of its Zurich restaurants.
However, Canepa told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung that these demands were “unrealistic”, arguing that there is no legal basis for the club to be held responsible for the actions of its supporters.
Valentin Jordil, RTS. Translated from French by DeepL/ts
How we work
We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then briefly reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team.
Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey on this page to help us understand your needs.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Ex-sect member sentenced in Zurich for sexual abuse
This content was published on
Zurich District Court has sentenced a former member of the globally active sect "Children of God" to a partial prison sentence.
SNB chairman does not rule out slowdown in Swiss growth
This content was published on
Martin Schlegel, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), does not rule out a weakening of the Swiss economy in light of the tariff dispute.
Swiss NGOs abroad to receive 10% less federal funding
This content was published on
In 2025 and 2026, Swiss NGOs will have 10% less federal funding available for international cooperation than in the previous two-year period.
Swiss parties spent less than CHF1 million on February green vote
This content was published on
Swiss political parties spent CHF 700,000 ($840,000) on campaigns in the run-up to the overwhelmingly defeated vote on February 9, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
This content was published on
Swisswool, the largest Swiss wool processor, is not accepting any wool for the first time this spring. For many sheep farmers, the only option is to get rid of the wool.
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.