The Grasshopper Club Zürich, Switzerland's most successful soccer team with 27 league titles, has undergone another ownership change. Los Angeles FC (LAFC), a group that includes prominent figures like Will Ferrell and Magic Johnson, sold its stake in the club to the Bridge Football Group. This sale comes after fan protests against LAFC's ownership, with a banner unfurled at a game telling the American owners to "Fuck Off LAFC." LAFC had acquired a majority stake in January 2024, but the club consistently performed poorly, finishing in 11th place in the 12-team league and facing relegation playoffs.
The Bridge Football Group, led by Swiss lawyer Ludovic Deléchat, is backed by primarily Chinese investors, including Eric Li Ying and Dutch-Chinese entrepreneur Eddie Tao. Deléchat is expected to become the new president of Grasshopper. The group already holds stakes in other lower-tier clubs globally, such as FC Den Bosch in the Netherlands, Pro Vercelli in Italy, and Shaanxi Union FC in China. The Bridge Football Group has established a Swiss entity, Bridge Football Group Switzerland AG, registered in Wil SG on May 27, 2026, to manage its operations in the region.
LAFC stated that the club's running costs continued to exceed revenues and that it depended on external support. They offered to sell Grasshopper following the fan backlash, emphasizing their commitment to securing the club's long-term sustainability. The new owners have expressed a goal to build a stable and competitive club, invest in young players, utilize the GC-Campus, strengthen community ties, and restore pride in the club, marking a return to Chinese ownership for Grasshopper after a previous unsuccessful era under Fosun Group which ended in January 2024.
