Young Boys: Winter — Terrace Edition

Words: Maxime Michelet

Images: Maxime Michelet

While Switzerland continues to shiver, several relatively unusual matches have opened the second-half of the Super League championship.

Before a surprising top game at the Lausanne’s Tuilière on Sunday, I went to the Bernese Wankdorf for an improbable crucial meeting for survival, between the Young Boys of Bern, and FC Winterthur.

A champion soon to be deposed?

A few months ago, this match would have been described as unbalanced. The serene Bernese who overcame the pale Winterthur, establishing their lead in the standings, and heading towards their sixth title since 2018.

Well, that was before the season resumed in July. Because Young Boys are proving to be the sad surprise of this season, since they have completely messed up, to the point of finding themselves bottom of the table for a period, and suffering a few spankings in the Champions League.

Their opponents FC Winterthur are not doing much better, since they sit in last place, two points behind their rival and Zurich play-off team Grasshopper, and seven points behind Yverdon-Sport, the first non-relegation team.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. FC Winterhur arrive at Young Boys.

Icy atmosphere

The biting cold got the better of the Gäub-schwarz (yellow and black in the Bernese dialect) crowd, as the stadium esplanade was sadly empty an hour before kick-off.

It should be noted that the Young Boys have kept the huge clock from the old Wankdorf, destroyed in 2001, showing the time and the result of the Bernese title match in 2018, the first title in 32 years.

A special train has been organised for the visitors, and it is around 4:45 pm that the Rot-Wiis (Red and White) can reach the away sector in procession.

When I heard that a pyroshow was being organised on the Winterthur side, and saw that a tifo was going to be deployed across the entire Ostkurve (the Bernese curve), I was looking forward to seeing two stands warming up the atmosphere.

To my great surprise, the stadium filled up very quickly, and the stands were almost full by the time the riff of “Hie”, sung by the Bernese rap group Wurzel 5, was heard from the speakers.

The players entered the pitch, yellow panels were raised across the Ostkurve. Huge banners reading “Niemaus uf Gäh” were unfurled, as was a banner that said “Tüfelskerel! Passgranate! Siegesdonner!” (Devils! Pass grenade! Victory Thunder!”) in the visitors’ sector.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. Rocket goes awry. BSC Young Boys vs FC Winterhur.

A fire started...quickly extinguished

Some hooded people lit RDG smokes, while others lit rockets...which unfortunately were deflected by the net, and landed randomly, some narrowly hitting Eulacher players!

Once the storm had passed, a minute of silence was planned in tribute to two Young Boys players who had died. A silence punctuated by the curses of the Winterhur players, provoking the ire of some Bernese supporters.

On the field, the Bernese tried their luck, without managing to open the scoring, and this theme continued during the entire match.

The Winterhur players, although cornered, tried to create a few opportunities, including a goal disallowed for offside. The Winterhur Bierkurve, for its part, unfurled a banner reading "Euse Bock, eusi verantwortig. Entchuldigung" ("Our stupidity, our responsibility. Sorry") at the start of the second half to apologise for the events at the start of the match.

The game ended 0-0, which did not help matters for the Winterhurer team, who now find themselves four points behind their Grasshopper, surprise winners in Sion.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. FC Winterhur at BSC Young Boys.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. BSC Young Boys vs FC Winterhur.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. BSC Young Boys.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. BSC Young Boys tifo vs FC Winterhur.

You can find Maxime on Instagram: @max_mich.loz

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