Servette survey the chaos

By Marco Keller

Servette FC reached their absolute pinnacle with an awesome 'quadruple' of the league, the Swiss Cup, the Swiss League Cup and the Alps Cup in 1978/79, and were making their presence felt in Europe as recently as 2001/02 when they reached the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

Bankruptcy hearing
However, such good times seemed a long way away last Tuesday as the 17-time Swiss champions were ordered to submit their accounts to a Geneva court, and they are now just a small step away from bankruptcy after two and a half years of financial nightmares.

Investors withdraw
Their troubles began in October 2002 when French broadcasters Canal Plus ended a five-year association with Servette - during which time they won the title in 1998/99 and the Swiss Cup in 2000/01 - by selling their 43.2 per cent majority shareholding.

Senderos windfall
Shorn of investment, the club managed to survive the following season thanks to the transfer fee recouped from the sale of defender Philippe Senderos to Arsenal FC. Nonetheless, by the time French players agent Marc Roger bought the club in February 2004, the rot had set in.

Token fee
Roger had been keen to buy the club for a year, but had baulked at the initial fee of €2.4m. In the end, he was able to pick up an 87 per cent majority shareholding for a token sum, and acquired the rights to exploit Servette's new La Praille stadium as part of the bargain.

Ambitious plans
Not lacking in confidence, Roger promised to pay off the club's €2.8m debts with the help of former Real Madrid CF president Lorenzo Sanz, and also pledged to fashion Servette into a side that could challenge FC Basel 1893's dominance in Switzerland.

Signing blizzard
To that end, he signed no fewer than 21 players in the summer, with the likes of Christian Karembeu and Viorel Moldovan being lured to Geneva by generous salaries. However, without the time to gel as a team, Servete struggled and exited the UEFA Cup before the group stage with a defeat by Ferencvárosi TC.

Pitch battles
Things were little better in the league. Having started the season with minus three points due to financial irregularities, coach Marco Schällibaum could make little headway, and was dismissed by Roger and replaced, with little improvement in results, by Adrian Ursea.

Financial meltdown
Off the pitch matters are much worse. Roger failed to clear the debts and with Servette haemorrhaging money at an alarming rate, the situation is clear: if the club do not find new investors soon to clear their immediate €6.5m debts, they will be closed down.

Deadline day
When they submitted their accounts to the courts last week, Servette asked for a delay on bankruptcy proceedings. The court will decide on this matter on 21 January. Having not been paid since September, many players have decided it is a hopeless cause and have left.

Karembeu's faith
Roger continues to search for new investors. Consortiums from Qatar and Russia are being courted. "There are two valuable candidates and I hope to bring negotiations to a successful end," he said recently. Team captain Karembeu still has faith, saying: "I am 100 per cent behind Servette even though not everything is fine financially. I firmly believe the club will be saved."

Telltale sign
The Swiss newspapers recently reported that Roger had abandoned his home in Rolle having not paid rent for three months. In Geneva - where there is no shortage of financial experts - most fear that for Servette the writing is on the wall.