René Weiler gave Servette FC its first title in 23 years – but he too leaves Geneva unexpectedly quickly

There are encouraging signs surrounding Servette FC. The club has reached the top three for the fourth time in the last five years; this summer, Servette will challenge Glasgow Rangers, Pilsen, and Salzburg for Champions League qualification. And 9,932 spectators represent the second-highest average attendance in the club's history.

And yet, the club is in flux, once again; this state of affairs has been the major constant since Geneva-based private investor Didier Fischer took over the reins ten years ago. Thanks to the generous support of the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation , brokered by Fischer, Servette has since been free of its previously chronic financial worries. Nevertheless, the 17-time champions have yet to find peace.

Presidents, general directors, board members, and managers are being replaced with astonishing frequency; the situation is identical at the ice hockey club, which is also controlled by Fischer. Former boss Chris McSorley, who was dismissed without notice in 2020, is still fighting in court over his severance pay. He is still waiting for his money, despite recently winning a partial legal victory. After the court defeat, the club offered him less than 20 percent of the disputed amount, stating that otherwise the case would be referred to the next court. McSorley now speaks openly about the systematic nature of bullying within the Servette universe.

Often, changes happen overnight, without any explanation. This was the case in 2023 when Philippe Senderos, a native of the city, was dismissed. At the time, Senderos opposed the loan transfer of Kevin Mbabu because, with a monthly salary of around 60,000 Swiss francs, he was financially prohibitive. And a few months ago, the same happened with Sandy Maendly, the figurehead of the women's team . Now it's René Weiler's turn, despite his contract running until 2028.

Weiler, 51, became coach of Servette FC in 2023. He gave the club European glory and, with the cup victory, its first title in 23 years . In the summer, he was promoted to sporting director at his own request; he saw it as necessary to professionalize the club. There are numerous examples of this. The embarrassment in February 2024 when Servette forgot to register its winter signings with the league and Omar Rekik and Bassirou N'Diaye had to throw away half a year of their careers through no fault of their own. The club has never publicly apologized for this omission – and made a special payment to striker Ronny Rodelin, who had long since been discarded, so that he could go on loan to amateur club Perly-Certoux, where he never showed up. It was a ploy to at least free up one spot on the quota list; he was needed for the Japanese Takuma Nishimura.

Another case is that of Alexander Lyng, a young Dane who hasn't played a single competitive second for Servette. Like other players who never played, the 2024 signing, like other players who never played, was still able to claim a cup winner's bonus because the regulations were so poorly drafted. Lyng, 20, was signed from the Danish third division in the spring of 2023 for apparently more than 600,000 francs. Against Weiler's wishes, who said: "We have players of this quality in our own youth system." Lyng spent this season on loan at newly promoted Danish side Sønderjyske, playing sporadically, and is now returning home for a fraction of the fee.

Lyng shares the same agent as striker Chris Bedia, who had recently been sold to Berlin for two million Swiss francs. This constellation helps to understand a very astonishing figure: According to the financial figures published by the league, no other club spent more on fees to player agents than Servette in the 2023 financial year.

Given the relatively small number of transfers, this is quite surprising. And it's not just these cash flows that are confusing. In 2024, the reported transfer expenditures amount to CHF 4.8 million, a figure that is puzzling even internally because it is impossible to achieve even with the most generous calculations.

Servette's balance sheet also shows a staggering CHF 28 million in "other income," the code name for the Wilsdorf source of funds. It is unclear what happened to this money – the budget for the first team was cut for this season, even though the team generated more than ten million francs in additional income in 2023/24, including ticket sales from European competitions. When contacted, Servette media spokesperson Loïc Lüscher said there was nothing to communicate on this matter.

One thing is certain: Servette FC and the Geneva/Servette Ice Hockey Club must pay a sum of X per year to a public company controlled by the Fischer family, the purpose of which remains a secret. The Tribune de Genève reported in 2024 that FC alone had transferred 350,000 francs each year in 2021 and 2022, which represents generous compensation for a non-operational role in a highly loss-making company. The local newspaper also reported on Fischer's conflicts of interest , claiming that he only hired people close to him at the institutions.

These are events that raise questions. But obviously, it's better not to ask them, because otherwise, the thumbs-down will quickly be turned down. This was already the case with Pascal Besnard, a former player and now a renowned banker in Geneva: In 2022, he was hastily dispatched as president. Fischer likes to say that no one is bigger than the club, whenever personnel changes are made. He seems to skillfully exclude himself from this maxim.

The latest victim is the well-traveled Weiler, whose job was not to be envied in a clique of power struggles and attempted influence. The budget was constantly changing. In 2024, the first team's bonus budget had to be reduced, shortly after the cup victory. Club officials had just made a multi-million offer to the rapidly aging striker Jean-Pierre Nsame .

In the winter, there were once again hardly any funds available for reinforcements. This thwarted the planned acquisition of French youth international Kyliane Dong – he will now move to Augsburg in the summer. The loan transfer of Alioune Ndoye, a young Senegalese striker, was completed. Ndoye, 24, scored six goals in the second half of the season, averaging one every 74 minutes. He is a bargain and is now being acquired for a low six-figure sum. Servette is also trying to sign Matteo Di Giusto, the manager of FC Winterthur, even though there is no demand for that position.

Weiler was chafed by contradictions and the fact that he enjoyed little autonomy. And he lost Fischer's ear, which mysteriously belongs to scout Yoan Loche. The Frenchman has worked in Geneva for many years and is responsible for a series of botched transfers: Lyng, Sofyane Bouzamoucha, Moussa Diallo, and Ronny Rodelin. His role is opaque; several sources report that he acts like a shadow sports director, a negotiator with the blessing of the very top. Loche is likely to be an important part of the sports commission that Servette will lead in the future. And one that Weiler had little desire to join.

Servette will be the only Super League club operating without a sporting director, which could be an indication that this might not be the best idea. But it's a model Servette had already operated with before the Weiler era. And then Fischer rejected it, arguing that it was time to professionalize the structures. Now everything is different again; it's the next abrupt change of direction, goodbye to coherence. The question is how long this will last. So far, sporting success has overshadowed all irritations, but Servette is in danger of overstretching its fortunes.

Weiler will be able to get over the separation; he is and remains a sought-after man in international football, and people abroad have not forgotten that he won titles with Al-Ahly and Anderlecht . In the winter, he received an offer to coach the MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps, ready to sign, but he turned it down because he didn't want to let Servette down in the middle of a transfer window. Five months later, he's history in Geneva.