Before the cup final
“Football as the most beautiful substitute religion” This is what the church says about the FCSG lettering at the monastery – the bishop also comes out as a fan
The cup final of FC St.Gallen against FC Lugano in Bern is getting closer, Eastern Switzerland is clearly in football fever. On Friday morning, around a dozen people in FCSG shirts sprayed lawn paint on the Klosterplatz meadow. The canton explains why the association’s application was approved – and the church also has its say.
Four letters, a clear message: Grünweiss wants to grab the trophy in Bern on Sunday. After 1969, it would be the second cup victory in the club’s history.
You can hardly resist a «Hopp Sangallä» on Friday morning on the Klosterplatz in downtown St.Gallen. At least that’s what happened to some passers-by who passed the conspicuous FCSG letters.
As videos show, around a dozen people in FCSG jerseys spray the green lawn with white lawn paint early on Friday morning. The St.Gallen city police did not receive any reports from the population on Friday morning, according to spokesman Dionys Widmer. On site, the lawn painters don’t seem to bother anyone, by 8 a.m. they’ve already left. It remains unclear: who is behind the action? Was this approved?
Was the campaign planned before the final?
At the request of Tagblatt Online, the canton of St.Gallen announced that this was an approved campaign. The State Chancellery approved an application in accordance with the ordinance on the monastery square. The opinions were obtained from the authorities involved. A central requirement was that the paint had to be washable again. In addition, the construction of the St.Gallen Festival, which is due to start on Monday, must not be disturbed.
According to the canton, FC St.Gallen Event AG, which has followed the usual process, is behind the request. So, before the 2-0 semi-final win in Yverdon three weeks ago, did the club already anticipate reaching the cup final? At least the approval process usually takes six to eight weeks according to the ordinance on the monastery site.
Soccer-knowledgeable bishop reveals himself to be an FCSG fan
Bishop Markus Büchel also showed his colors on Friday morning, commenting on the campaign via the Instagram presence of the Diocese of St.Gallen. “Are the aspens hoping for an additional blessing ‘from above’ due to the proximity to the cathedral and St.Laurenzenkirche?” An additional blessing couldn’t hurt, especially since St.Gallen and Lugano are close to each other in the table. So was the Catholic denomination in the canton of St.Gallen convinced of the campaign from the start?
Internally, this did not trigger any discussions, according to communication manager Roger Fuchs:
“One always speaks of football as the most beautiful substitute religion. Now FC St.Gallen may even get the divine blessing for the cup final with the lettering on the monastery square.”
According to Fuchs, the FCSG and the Abbey District are two very traditional institutions, both cultural assets of the canton of St.Gallen. To bring this together once, that fits together.
Bishop Büchel finally wants to know via Instagram who he is a prominent advocate for: it is obvious – or just standing on the monastery meadow.