Thun’s modest marvel, newly promoted leaders daring to dream in Switzerland | OneFootball

Newly promoted FC Thun are leading Switzerland’s Super League and, despite limited resources, allowing themselves to dream of the title.

According to L'Équipe, while heavyweights chased winter sun in Spain or Türkiye, Thun chose a no-frills chalet close to home.

There were no poolside sessions, players devised their own fun, including the Oreo-from-forehead challenge. Christopher Ibayi, signed in January 2025 when they were still in the second tier, is top scorer with nine.

After 22 matches Thun have 16 wins, five defeats and one draw, nine points clear of Lugano. They have five straight league wins and face Servette FC on Sunday at 14:00.

Ibayi talks of a rare togetherness, and coach Mauro Lustrinelli points to cohesion and mentality as fundamentals. Continuity after promotion, with minimal tweaks, has helped.

The squad is valued at €15.88 million, only 11th of 12, far below Young Boys (€63m), Basel (€60m) and Lugano (€46m). President Andres Gerber says the budget ranks around 10th to 12th, the club have never spent more than €600,000 on a signing nor sold above €2m since 1898.

Thun lack a training ground, all sessions are on the Stockhorn Arena’s synthetic pitch, capacity 10,000. Games can be in minus eight or minus nine degrees, yet stands stay full. Title talk and Champions League hopes are restrained, with Gerber saying it is not an objective and Lustrinelli insisting focus stays on the present, noting they would reassess if they reach the Champions League final round with five matches left.

Source: L'Équipe