LAFC owners open door to Grasshoppers sale after fan backlash
LAFC’s ownership group has said they are open to selling part or all of Grasshopper Club Zürich after escalating fan protests, raising fresh questions over the club’s multi-club model and funding plan.
Los Angeles FC’s ownership group has said they are willing to discuss selling Grasshopper Club Zürich, after supporter protests in Switzerland intensified and focused on the club’s management and sporting direction.The statement signals a potential inflection point for one of Swiss football’s most decorated clubs, and a test of how MLS-linked ownership groups manage European assets when local fan acceptance and financial sustainability collide.Grasshoppers’ owners said: “Recent protests have called for us to leave the club. We are open to discussing a partial or full sale, provided that the long-term financial and sporting sustainability of Grasshoppers is ensured.”The move comes after demonstrators targeted the ownership and leadership structure, including an explicit banner during a recent home match and further unrest linked to results and operational decisions.Grasshoppers have been under pressure on the pitch, sitting in the lower end of the Swiss Super League table and battling to stabilise performance, while also trying to build a more resilient business model.The owners have pointed to structural economics as a core issue, with operating costs exceeding revenues and the club relying on external investment to remain competitive and, in their view, to maintain professional football operations.Commercially, the situation underlines the difficulty of running a legacy European club inside an international ownership platform when venue economics, local sponsorship ceilings and supporter expectations are misaligned with the pace of change.A sale process would also add uncertainty around sporting strategy, squad investment and executive appointments, with prospective buyers likely to demand clarity on funding commitments, governance and the club’s medium-term objectives.The ownership group connected to LAFC took control of Grasshoppers in 2024, extending a growing trend of North American investors buying stakes in European clubs to access player pathways, scouting networks and cross-market commercial upside.That approach can deliver operational benefits, but it also increases reputational risk when decision-making is perceived locally as remote, transactional or overly influenced by priorities outside the domestic fan base.Any deal would likely be complicated by the requirement to ensure continuity funding, plus the need to satisfy Swiss league requirements and maintain a credible sporting plan that avoids a damaging relegation outcome.The next steps are whether the owners formalise a sale mandate and appoint advisers, and whether credible bidders emerge who can meet the owners’ sustainability conditions while restoring trust with supporters and stabilising results.