A friendship: FC Winterhur and FC Lausanne-Sport

Words: Maxime Michelet

Images: Maxime Michelet

As the regular season drew to a close, and uncertainty loomed over three teams still in contention for the Championship Tour, a rather special and historic match took place on Saturday, April 12th, in Winterthur.

Indeed, during the match against Lausanne-Sports, the two curves celebrated the union that has bound them for 20 years.

To better understand this friendship, I must digress a bit on friendships between Swiss groups.

Unlike its German and Italian neighbours, the Swiss ultras movement is not particularly fond of intramural friendships.

This is undoubtedly due to a very significant language barrier in Switzerland (the famous Röstigraben, or Rösti Barrier); a very prevalent Bedouin syndrome (friend of my enemy, enemy of my enemy) especially for the smaller curves.

The power gap between the major and minor curves, which pushes the latter to create rivalries to survive...

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. Loz Boys Lausanne with some Winterhur.

This, however, hasn't prevented some groups from forging ties with clubs in French-speaking Switzerland, Swiss German, or Ticino

We're thinking in particular of the friendship between the Lausanne HC Section Ouest and the Ragazzi della Nord (disbanded in 2019) of HC Lugano; the Servette FC Section Grenat with FC Lugano's Teste Matte (disbanded in 2023), the Lausanne-Sports supporters with their Winterthur counterparts; the Sion’s Sedunum (formerly Red Side) with the Chiasso ultras scene; the Wil supporters with Schaffhausen...

But let's return to this very special union between the supporters of Winterthur and LS.

Although initial contacts had taken place in the 1990s, the match on July 16, 2005, would mark the beginning of their friendship.

According to some accounts from the time, members of the Bierkurve unfurled a banner reading "Welcome Back to League B," congratulating Lausanne-Sports, a traditional club (Traditionverein, as the Germans would say), on its return to the Swiss second division in 2005 after its bankruptcy in 2003.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. Winterhur and Lausanne bbq.

While Lausanners and Eulacher took turns inviting each other to drunken parties, a group of Winterthur hooligans stole the banner from Lausanne's Blue-White Fanatic Kop in September 2008.

Fortunately, the Bierkurve put a stop to the situation and decided to return the banner to their friends.

However, it would take eight years, and an away-game for the Rot-Wiis to Geneva's Praille in October 2013, for the BWFK and the 8400, two groups with a "fanclub" tendency, to formalize the friendship. Followed, a few years later, by the ultra groups Loz Boys and Locals Winterthur.

Matches between the two teams give rise to scenes of fraternity, whether it's chants in praise of the two clubs, the fans chanting the club names, exchanging flags.

This good-natured atmosphere extends even beyond the curves, as it's not uncommon to see normal supporters from both sides exchanging scarves, stickers, and more.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. FC Winterhur pyro.

With FCW's sporting situation unfortunately worrying (six points behind the second-bottom team), the decision was made to celebrate 20 years of friendship on Saturday, April 12th, when the Vaudois team visited the Schützenwiese.

To this end, a huge tifo was made by each curve, and a barbecue-aperitif was organized in front of the Bierkurve, under a magnificent sun.

Both sides could thus celebrate their union, in a mixture of French, German, and English, without worrying that a crucial match awaited both teams.

Indeed, a victory was essential for both clubs, both for FCW in its quest to stay up, and for LS, which still hopes to play in the Championship Tour in early May.

It's 5:55 pm when the players enter the pitch. A huge "Lausanne Winterthur" flag is raised over the immense side stands, while another "20 Jahr" (20 years) veil, surrounded by a laurel wreath, is raised using pulleys attached from the roof.

©Maxime Michelet/ Terrace Edition. Wintehur & Lausanne tifo.

All this is accompanied by a huge burn of red smoke bombs on the Bierkurve side and blue on the away side.

The atmosphere was pretty good, both curves were chanting, and both teams created a few chances. I admit that after such a great day, I'm not too keen on the result, especially since a pyroshow is organized by both sides in the twentieth minute, a clear nod to the 20th anniversary.

Unfortunately, this match needed a winner, and it was the home team Löwen (Lions) who won by the narrowest of margins, trying as best they could to claw back into the playoff spot, as their main challenger, Grasshoppers Zurich, also won. Saturday night's trip to Zurich was already at the heart of post-match discussions.

Finally, it was in a spirit of friendship that the roughly hundred Lausanne fans converged on the Bierkurve, under the applause of the rot-wiis supporters.

A few shots, beers, and all sorts of discussions later, it was time to leave Winterthur and return to the Olympic Capital at the stroke of midnight.

Lausanne et Winti!