ZURICH (AP) — The stellar ownership group of Major League Soccer team LAFC sold its majority stake in struggling Swiss club Grasshopper after three straight seasons fighting relegation.
The record 27-time Swiss champion from Zurich was sold to multi-club ownership operation Bridge Football Group, which also has teams in lower-tier divisions in Italy and the Netherlands.
The sale was described by LAFC as a “strategic realignment of its international development network” which will now focus on Austrian team Wacker Innsbruck, the club said in a statement late Monday.
Grasshopper fans protested with an expletive banner at a home game in April urging a sale by LAFC, whose owners includes entertainment executives Peter Guber and Mark Shapiro, Will Ferrell and Magic Johnson.
The club in FIFA’s home city does not own its Letzigrund stadium, a storied track and field venue which is shared with FC Zurich. Grasshopper has struggled in the 12-team Swiss league since winning its last title 23 years ago, and its most recent Swiss Cup win was 13 years ago.
LAFC bought Grasshopper in January 2024 from the Chinese owners of Wolverhampton, which was relegated from the English Premier League in May.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Expedia Cruises invites you to experience travel at its most refined. From intimate wildlife… Read moreElite Explorers Expo
Be a winemaker for an evening and craft your own Bordeaux-style blend. Read moreIntroduction to Wine Blending
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Pappan Democrat = liar = wave you off = tax increases = more money for her and social giveaways
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.